NEWS in SCIENCE
Attack of the Mosquitoes: The Danger Lurking After a Hurricane
By K.N.
Hurricanes and other natural disasters cause a lot of destruction. In the last few years we have many devastating hurricanes including Katrina, Sandy, Matthew, and most recently, Harvey, Irma, and Maria. These hurricanes cause billions of dollars of damage, forcing people to evacuate, damaging homes, and causing power outages.
Often, money has to be taken from health programs to provide for the basic needs of people during these times while evacuating and while recovering after. During Hurricane Matthew in Florida in the fall of 2016, money that was for programs to prevent and control Zika outbreaks was taken away to be put into hurricane efforts.
This is a problem because although the strong hurricane winds and rain push out many of the mosquitos that spread Zika, the conditions after hurricanes are ideal for mosquito breeding.
Flooding leaves a lot of still water that the mosquitos use to lay their eggs
Many homes do not have air conditioning which keeps mosquitos out
The heat and humidity after the hurricane are ideal for the mosquitos to breed and bite (which is how Zika is passed to humans)
People spend more time outside because they are living in temporary housing or are fixing things
There is also a threat to people coming in to help clean up after the hurricane because they spend a lot of time outside and may not be taking the necessary precautions to prevent mosquito bites.
Much of the money that the government is spending at this time is to restore electricity, re-settle people, or provide medical care for injuries from the hurricane. But it is also important to remember that the aftermath natural disasters often bring increases in infectious disease and to take the necessary precautions so you do not get sick.
Ahmed, Q. A., & Memish, Z. A. (2017). The public health planners' perfect storm: Hurricane Matthew and Zika virus. Travel medicine and infectious disease, 15, 63-66.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893916302113
Please send any questions or comments to Dr. Spitzer (spitzern@marshall.edu )
Note: Any opinions expressed in these articles are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of Dr. Spitzer, the Department of Biological Sciences, or Marshall University.