Mosquitoes Tested For West Nile Virus

Oh dear! Thanks for the information, @hhusted!

I hope many people learn about this mosquito problem and protect themselves, or the emergency room will be loaded soon.

Does New York City do anything to reduce mosquito populations? In Florida a truck that sprays a mass amount of bug spray drives around late at night. It can't be good to be around that thing, but in Florida it's pretty necessary.

On the upside: there's no malaria in NYC just yet.

@hhusted Immigrants have been coming to NYC for hundreds of years! I don't know where the West Nile Virus came from, but in my rant I was vaguely alluding to abnormal temperatures of hot and cold (have we not complained bitterly this winter, people?) and what that might be doing to the spread of disease as the ecosystem gets all out of whack.

What are the symptoms of west nile virus? I don't know what it is about the bugs this year, but they are out in forces and they are bubonic! Every bug bite I get turns into a burning mass the size of a tennis ball. I perpetually smell like grosso Burt's Bees just to keep them away.

@JenMac That just confirms the direction my rant was going in. Everything about this summer feels abnormal. I look noticeably tanned only from the few minutes of sun exposure I get walking from the subway to whatever building I then duck into. I just can't believe the sun is so strong, and I'm not one to tan all that easily.

@JenMac Read all about West Nile Virus:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Nile_virus

Sounds like only one of the three types is deadly, one of the milder forms looks like a flu.

I'm not sure I'm comfortable characterizing immigrants as "bringing rodents and diseases." What, do they pack them into their checked luggage at airports? Come, now! This isn't steerage ships in 1901 anymore.

@Everybody: I would like you to read something I found on the Internet today:

http://www.usillegalaliens.com/impacts_of_illegal_immigration_diseases.html

Now, granted there are many viruses and diseases we get from insects and rodents that are born and live here. There have been many people who brought viruses and diseases with them as well. But there are also insects and rodents that come here from other areas of the world and carry diseases with them.

Uptowngirl: Actually, the H1N1 virus was brought here by illegal Mexicans crossing the border. There was a documentary that was done about it a few months ago. In fact, for a while, people were not allowed to leave or enter Mexico, until the virus was found and kept from spreading.

Irregardless, as Uraniumfish pointed out, this has been an unusual summer. More bugs and rodents have shown up in NYC this summer than has been in recent years. Obviously, there is a cause. What do you think is causing it. Any ideas?

#1: We're all immigrants. #2 Irregardless isn't a word.

@JenMac: I'm not. I was born in this country. My parents were born here as well.

Oh, by the way, you are wrong. The word "irregardless" is a word.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless

It just isn't used much today. When I was in college in the 90's I saw its use frequently in literature.

@Uptowngirl: I'm not suggesting that we do not work with people in other parts of the country. That is not what I am trying to portray. I have many clients who live overseas. I was merely bringing up an issue regarding diseases in this country, and letting everyone be aware that many of the diseases we have here are not just what was created here, but came from developing countries. That is the only point I was trying to make.

I do agree with you about one thing. Diseases will not discriminate. It doesn't matter who it is. Anyone can be a carrier. And that is the scariest part because you never know who is carrying a disease, until after the fact.

I understand what is happening regarding global power. In fact, based on a projection by the Mayan's, India is supposedly to be the next world empire. They will gain strength and surpass the United States as the number one super power, followed by China. I don't know if this will happen for real, or even in my lifetime, but as you can tell, a lot of attention is being directed to India today. So perhaps in a few years, what the Mayans predicted may come true. Who really knows for sure.

I'll just silently roll my eyes at this latest series of questionable statements by hhusted.

The spread of disease on a global scale is actually a surprisingly intricate matter that depends on many things, and not only immigrants arriving on steamboats with rats packed neatly inside their cardboard suitcases. It's possible for an American tourist to go out into the world and return with West Nile Virus and then be bitten by a mosquito who then transfers it to whatever else it is biting. It's so absurd to say that there is just one cause of the global spread of mosquito borne flaviviruses.

@NeverSleeps that's exactly the point I was trying to make.

@hhusted I don't know whether India will rule the world for China at present seems miles ahead but both countries seem to be growing rapidly and generating much wealth.