A summary of vector borne diseases in urban areas put together by a paper V.P. Sharma at the Malaria Research Center in New Delhi.
1. Dengue: Aedes aegypti the primary vector of dengue fevers has a global distribution and it invades urban aeras. Aedes albopictus the second dengue vectors has already invaded Europe and the United States of America. Dengue fever causes 50-100 million cases and 500,000 cases of DHF annually in the world. Epidemics in Cuba (1997) and Ribeirao Preto, Brazil (1990), and enhanced vulnerability in Taiwan have been cited.
2. Urban malaria. In India An. stephensi and in Amazonian basin towns An. darlingi are the vectors of malaria. The former species breeds in a variety of containers in urban areas whereas the later species is riverine, and has adapted itself to the urban environment.
3. Filariasis affects 120 million people in 73 countries of the world. A study in the town of Olinda in north eastern Brazil brought out that microfilaria rate varied from 0.6 to 14.9% (average 6.5%). Bancroftian filariasis is spreading in northeastern towns in Brazil.
4. Yellow Fever is spreading despite of a very effective vaccine. In South America cases have occurred in Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and French Guinea. In Africa cases have been reported from Cote d?lvoire (1982), Burkina Faso (1983), Nigeria (1986,87) and Mali (1987). Aedes fucifer is the major vector in savanna region. Aedes africanus is emerging as a vector in forests.
5. Plague is associated with rats and fleas that inhabit human dwellings. In recent years human plague has surfaced in Africa where 65% of the 3,000 cases occur. Plague has re-appeared in Madagascar with more than 200 cases reported each year. In the port city of Mahajanga plague has been re-introduced and in Antananrivo the capital city, cases have been increasing. Plague epidemic in 1994 caused havoc in India and 500,000 people had to flee from Surat.
6. Ticks transmit lyme disease. It is mainly the disease of temperate regions and restricted to woodland and grasslands in European cities.
7. Urban leishmaniasis caused by L. tropica is a cutaneous disease transmitted by P. sergenti in the Middle East. In the city of Kerman, Southeast Iran cases increased in 7 years to an over all prevalence rate of 0.8% and scar rate 4.4% in 1977. The authors concluded that health institutions must maintain surveillance, primary health care, and vaccination and vector control. Tools exist for the control of vector borne diseases. Health policy makers should emphasize preventive measures rather control of epidemics. There is a need for a greater understanding of the environment and climate factors
Yeah, we're all going to die. All you've got is empty exaggerated scare stories. You demean folks that have already proven themselves to be able to survive and deny they could continue at all. You speak as if the world was a death trap before your modern experts were born. You ignore so much history and fact it's pitiful. Just to back that bunch of jackboots down in NO.