The spread of mysterious mosquito-borne diseases & how to avoid them.
几个太平洋国家和夏威夷州都受到登革热疫情的影响, good news arrived recently when Mexican authorities approved a vaccine against the deadly mosquito-borne disease. 预计会有更多的政府效仿批准这种药物, called Dengvaxia, to combat the disease’s sudden surge.
这种疫苗并不是控制登革热的灵丹妙药——根据病毒株的不同，其有效性可能在60%到90%之间——但毫无疑问，它是一种受欢迎的工具，可以与传统的蚊虫控制方法一起帮助保护公民.
The rapid, and largely mysterious, 登革热的传播提醒人们蚊子可能造成的危险——而且不仅仅是在发展中国家. 夏威夷正处于一场历史性的疫情中，据报道，病例发生在 Florida this past fall.
Dengue Dangers
Caused by any of four unique viruses, 每年有多达4亿人感染登革热, by recent estimates. It can be fatal. Symptoms include fevers as high as 106 degrees, headaches, pain throughout the body and bleeding around the gums.
While cases in the U.S. have been limited, largely thanks to thoughtful mosquito abatement, 世界上许多地方正在努力控制蚊子种群并治疗感染者.
India suffered a major outbreak 今年秋天，报告的病例超过1万例，死亡人数在10月中旬达到32人. Taiwan has also battled an outbreak of dengue fever this year. 美国疾病控制中心(CDC)在11月初报告称，近30人死亡,000 cases of the disease had already been diagnosed.
在美国本土，夏威夷正处于登革热爆发的阵痛之中. As of mid-December, more than 150 cases had been reported on Hawaii Island, 促使该州官员加强蚊虫控制，并警告居民和游客穿上防护服.
It is unknown why the outbreaks are happening now. 美国国立卫生研究院最近的一项研究将太平洋的厄尔尼诺气候变化归咎于此. 但一些科学家称这项研究是推测性的.
Zika and Others Lurk
虽然它仍然相对较新，科学家们正在争先恐后地了解它, 登革热远不是蚊子传播的唯一健康风险. The insects carry Malaria, West Nile and chikungunya.
去年，第一个美国患者被诊断出一种名为寨卡的罕见蚊子传播疾病. Found in South America and Polynesia, Zika can cause flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, fevers, body aches, and swollen, mucous-filled eyes and rash. Because the disease is so rare, 医学专业人士仍然不清楚它可能有什么长期影响.
An Ounce of Prevention
Even as these outbreaks make headlines, 重要的是要记住，蚊子传播的疾病在美国仍然相当罕见.S. 没有必要取消任何即将到来的温暖天气的旅行. 如果你担心你正在旅行的地方，疾控中心提供了一些建议 precautions:
尽管制药商和官员们找到了预防或治疗它们的新方法, mosquito-borne diseases aren’t going away. But taking the proper precautions, and staying informed, 避免被虫子咬伤而生病的最好方法是什么.
