Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/695013
ByNomaanMerchant and Mike Stobbe TheAssociatedPress HOUSTON Saron Wyatt pointed to the secluded end of her small street in Hous- ton's impoverished Fifth Ward, where a mound of old tires keeps popping up. Always a trashy nui- sance, it's now a growing danger. Tires collect water and become prime breed- ing grounds for mosquitoes — especially the ones that spread Zika virus disease and other tropical mos- quito-borne illnesses. Wyatt, a mother of five, doesn't know where the tires are coming from. But she's worried about it, and so are health officials. Spraying for the type of mosquito that carries Zika is not always effective, and they can breed in pools of standing water as small as a Styrofoam cup. That means vacant lots or messy yards may need to be cleaned up, whether the owner of the mess wants it cleaned or not. Dr. Umair Shah, the head of Houston's county health department, called getting the cooperation of local res- idents his department's big- gest issue. "It's really about a neighbor who might have sources of breeding on their property that can impact a neighbor two or three houses down," he said. Experts believe the vast majority of neighbors will comply. But not all. For months now, the federal government has been urg- ing local health officials to review local nuisance ordi- nances and plot how to han- dle property owners who are combative or can't be found. During a recent outbreak of dengue fever in Hawaii that involved the same mosquito that can spread Zika, health officials went to more than 500 proper- ties to survey or spray. In 23 cases, residents refused requests to enter. It happened again in March, when health offi- cials went to see a Kauai resident who was infected with Zika after traveling to an outbreak area in Latin America. Initially, the per- son would not allow health officials onto the rental property. But when a team returned for a follow-up visit, a family member let them in to look for mos- quito breeding areas. "For the most part, we do get good cooperation," said Keith Kawaoka, dep- uty director for environ- mental health at Hawaii's state health department. But sometimes cooperation comes only after a couple of conversations. Zika has been sweep- ing through Latin America and the Caribbean in recent months, and the fear is that it will get worse there and arrive in the U.S. with the onset of mosquito season this summer. Zika causes only a mild and brief illness, at worst, in most people. But it can cause fetal deaths and severe birth defects in the children of women in- fected during pregnancy. After West Nile Virus, an- other mosquito-borne dis- ease, hit the United States in 1999, the response was often to spray wide areas using trucks and aircraft. But the kinds of mosqui- toes that primarily spread West Nile are different from the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads Zika and den- gue. That tropical pest likes to live very close to people, and immediately around their homes. If someone is diagnosed with Zika and health offi- cials determine that they were infected by a local mosquito, officials will draw a circle around their house with a radius of about 150 yards. That's roughly half a block in many cit- ies. An Aedes aegypti mos- quito doesn't travel farther than that during its typical three-week lifespan. Next, health officials or mosquito control work- ers will visit the properties within that circle and look for standing water where mosquitoes may be breed- ing, including Styrofoam cups, flower pots, and old tires. They will work with the property owner to re- move them, or treat them with chemicals that kill mosquito larvae. Some people may not want such an intrusion. In Hawaii during its den- gue outbreak, much of the resistance came from or- ganic farmers and beekeep- ers wary of chemical sprays, Kawaoka said. But there may be other cases in which a property occupant is hiding an il- legal activity and doesn't want health officials snoop- ing around. Or, there may be people who simply don't want anyone from the gov- ernment on their land, some experts said. ZIKA UShealthofficialsworryaboutneighbors THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Darryl Nevins, owner of a Mosquito Joe franchise, sprays a backyard to control mosquitoes in Houston. Zika has been sweeping through Latin America and the Caribbean in recent months, and the fear is that it will get worse there and arrive in the U.S. with the onset of mosquito season this summer. By Matthew Perrone The Associated Press WASHINGTON An experi- mental vaccine for the Zika virus is due to begin human testing in coming weeks, af- ter getting the green light from U.S. health officials. Inovio Pharmaceuticals said Monday it received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to begin early-stage safety tests of its DNA-based vac- cine against the mosquito- borne virus. That puts the company ahead of research- ers at the National Insti- tutes of Health, who have said they expect to begin testing their own DNA- based Zika vaccine by early fall. Inovio's vaccine is in- tended to prime the im- mune system to fight Zika by introducing geneti- cally-engineered material that mimics the virus. In- ovio reports that animals tested with the vaccine de- veloped antibodies and im- mune-system cells that at- tack Zika. The NIH is working to de- velopaZikavaccinebyswap- pingoutthegeneticmaterial from its experimental West Nile virus vaccine. Inovio and its partner, GeneOne Life Science, plan to begin a 40-person study to determine the safest dose of the vaccine in coming weeks. FDA GIVES CLEARANCE Experimental Zika vaccine to begin human testing By Martha Ross Bay Area News Group Mosquitoes have always been an annoying part of summer, but suddenly they seem to loom larger and buzz louder. With the world facing its latest health threat from the mosquito-borne Zika virus, you might be tempted to cancel your summer trip to Mexico or points south, including Brazil — even if you were lucky enough to snag tick- ets to the Summer Olym- pics. Or, in the U.S., you might worry about getting bitten by a Culex mosquito. That's the species that carries the West Nile virus, which now is endemic in California. While the global village we live in means we can no longer wave off certain diseases as distant epidem- ics, health officials also say there's no cause for panic. Certainly, with the risks of Zika-related birth de- fects, pregnant women should carefully consider visiting countries dealing with outbreaks. Still, the rest of us can reduce our risk by using simple precautions. Travelsafely The CDC has issued travel warnings for about 50 countries regarding the Zika virus, including Mex- ico and in the Caribbean, Central and South Amer- ica and the Pacific Islands. Specifics about advisories for each country are avail- able at wwwnc.cdc.gov/ travel/page/zika-travel-in- formation. If you travel to these countries, try to stay in- doors behind screens, or closed doors or windows as much as possible, espe- cially during the day when the mosquitoes are most active. At night, sleep un- der a mosquito net. Dress right The right clothes can go a long way toward reduc- ing bites. It might seem coun- terintuitive to don long pants and sleeves in trop- ical climates, but try to cover as much skin as possible. Clothing with a close weave works best to prevent bites, but lay- ered loose-weave clothing works almost as well, says Joe Conlon, medical ento- mologist and technical ad- viser to the American Mos- quito Control Association. And because bugs are attracted to dark colors, go for clothes in white, beige or light khaki colors, he says. Conlon says you can also buy clothing treated with a repellent called perme- thrin, which is marketed under the name Insect Shield and can maintain its repellency through 70 washings. The Department of Defense developed this technology decades ago to protect troops in bat- tle from insect-borne dis- eases. With its Bugsaway line, outdoor clothing manufac- turer ExOfficio sells Insect Shield men's and women's shirts, pants, hoodies, hats and socks (www.exofficio. com). Spray away When it comes to sprays, not all brands are created equal. Consumer Reports found that the most effec- tive repellents for ward- ing off Aedes mosqui- toes were Sawyer Picari- din and Natrapel 8 Hour, each of which contains a 20 percent concentration of the chemical picaridin. Another good one is Off! Deepwoods VIII, which contains 25 percent of the chemical DEET. Not only did these products keep mosqui- toes from biting for about eight hours, they are reg- istered with the Environ- mental Protection Agency, which means they are eval- uated for safety and effec- tiveness. Consumer Reports cau- tions against using many so-called "natural" repel- lents, using citronella, clove, lemongrass or rose- mary oils. These products might smell nice, but they won't keep mosquitoes away for long, and many aren't registered with the EPA. An exception in the plant oil category is Repel Lemon Eucalyptus, which contains 30 percent oil of lemon eucalyptus. This re- pellent warded off mosqui- toes for seven hours. The CDC says DEET products are safe for preg- nant women to use, but parents should avoid us- ing picaridin or lemon eu- calyptus sprays on young children because they can cause a rash. Consumer Reports also suggests that insect repel- lent wrist bands that have been marketed as being safer because you don't have to rub anything on your skin don't do much good. When testers stuck their arms into a cageful of mosquitoes, while wear- ing bands with citronella or geraniol oils, the bugs started biting immediately. Stop them at home To steer clear of the West Nile-carrying Culex mosquitoes, it's best to stay indoors at dawn and dusk when they are most active. To eliminate mosquito breeding grounds from your yard, dump or drain water that's been standing for several days in flower planters, pet dishes, bird- baths, neglected swim- ming pools and remove old tires, tin cans or buckets. If you want to enjoy your patio or deck in the evening, Conlon suggests illuminating it with yel- low "bug lights" instead of incandescent white lights. While the yellow lights don't necessarily re- pel mosquitoes, they don't attract them as the white lights do. Creating a breeze with strategically placed floor fans can push weak-fly- ing mosquitoes away and also dissipate the olfac- tory clues they use to lo- cate prey, he says. Citronella candles have a mild repellent effect but are no better protec- tion than tiki torches or other candles that produce smoke. HEALTH Bug off: Simple precautions can reduce risk (530) 529-1220 100 Jackson St. Red Bluff UnlimitedTanning $ 25 .00 only JUNE Tanning Special! Endsnoring An estimated 80 million people in North America snore. Taking into account the snorer's spouse and children, as many as 160 million people are negatively affected by snoring. 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