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Mosquito season is getting longer, which could lead to more disease. How one city is preparing.
A warmer climate means mosquito season is getting longer, prompting not only an increase in the pesky insects but also greater potential for them to spread diseases like West Nile virus.
To help reduce the risk In New York City, expert “insect hunters” track the summer pests among the trees and marshes of parks that residents use to escape the summer heat.
Vector ecologist Zurina Yusoff kills mosquito eggs with a bulky pellet sprayer strapped to her back, while co-worker Hamiltan Simean lays overnight traps for adult mosquitoes. The mosquitoes are then delivered to the public health lab for testing and are sorted by mosquito species.
“When we find a positive sample for West Nile or anything else, we can then increase our mitigation and control methods,” said Dr. Ashwin Bassan, New York City’s health commissioner. “A lot of these viruses are moving further and further north.”
Public health teams of insect hunters start their work during cooler months, counting hibernating mosquitos and dark damp places. That census determines where to focus summer mitigation efforts.
Other mosquito-borne viruses include dengue fever. U.S. health officials recently warned doctors to be alert for dengue as cases this year break international records. Puerto Rico is experiencing an epidemic of dengue, as is much of Latin America, while limited local spread of the virus has also been reported in Florida, Hawaii, Texas, Arizona and California.
West Nile is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States, accounting for 83% of all domestic mosquito-borne disease cases annually.
West Nile virus symptoms: “It’s an awful disease”
Carol Wallach was infected with West Nile in the summer of 2022.
“I had fever. That night, I passed out in urgent care, taken to the hospital,” Wallach told CBS News. “I think it took close to two weeks before they knew what was wrong with me.”
In addition to a fever, Wallach had a rash, severe nerve pain and trouble walking. Two years later, she still has limited use of her left arm and cannot drive a car.
The majority of West Nile virus infections are asymptomatic, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 5 people infected will experience symptoms of the virus that include:
- Headache
- Body aches
- Joint pains
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Rash
“Most people with febrile illness due to West Nile virus recover completely, but fatigue and weakness can last for weeks or months,” the CDC notes. In some people — about 1 in 150 cases —more severe illness can develop with additional symptoms.
Now Wallach wonders about other lingering effects of the virus.
“It’s an awful disease, and I am one of the very fortunate ones, because I’m still here,” she said, adding she’s now also very scrupulous about using insect repellent.
CBS News
Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.
TRENTON, N.J. — Democratic Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver has defeated Republican small businessman Carmen Bucco in a contest in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District that opened up because of the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. in April.
McIver will serve out the remainder of Payne’s term, which ends in January. She and Bucco will face a rematch on the November ballot for the full term.
McIver said in a statement Wednesday that she stands on the “shoulders of giants,” naming Payne as chief among them.
She cast ahead to the November election, saying the right to make reproductive health choices was on the ballot as well as whether the economy should benefit the wealthy or “hard working Americans.”
“I will fight because the purpose of politics and the purpose of our vote is to give the people of our communities and our nation a bold voice,” she said.
Bucco congratulated McIver on the victory in a statement but said he’s looking forward to the rematch in November.
“I am not going anywhere,” he said in an email. “We still have a second chance to make district 10 great again!”
Who are LaMonica McIver and Carmen Bucco?
McIver emerged as the Democratic candidate in a crowded field in the July special election. A member of the city council of New Jersey’s biggest city since 2018, she also worked for Montclair Public Schools as a personnel director and plans to focus on affordability, infrastructure, abortion rights and “protecting our democracy,” she told The Associated Press earlier this summer.
Bucco describes himself on his campaign website as a small-business owner influenced by his upbringing in the foster system. He lists support for law enforcement and ending corruption as top issues.
The 10th District lies in a heavily Democratic and majority-Black region of northern New Jersey. Republicans are outnumbered by more than 6 to 1.
It’s been a volatile year for Democrats in New Jersey, where the party dominates state government and the congressional delegation.
Among the developments were the conviction on federal bribery charges of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who has denied the charges, and the demise of the so-called county party line — a system in which local political leaders give their preferred candidates favorable position on the primary ballot.
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who’s running for Menendez’s seat, and other Democrats brought a federal lawsuit challenging the practice as part of his campaign to oust Menendez, who has resigned since his conviction.
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Wagon rolls over at Wisconsin apple orchard injuring about 25 children and adults