Diseases once thought to be rare or exotic in the United States aregaining a presence and getting new attention from medicalresearchers who are probing how immigration, limited access to careand the impacts of climate change are influencing their spread. Illnesses like schistosomiasis, Chagas disease and dengue areendemic in warmer, wetter and poorer areas of the world, oftencloser to the equator. According to the World Health Organization,almost 1 billion people are afflicted with more than one tropicaldisease. Caused by bacteria, parasites and viruses, these diseases arespread through bites, excrement and dirty water stemming from substandard housing and sanitation. Consequently,the United States has been largely isolated from them. Toyota Diagnostic Tool
But Americans are traveling more, and as tropical vacationersreturn home, they may unwittingly bring back dangerous souvenirs.Immigrants from endemic regions are also bringing in thesediseases, some of which can lie dormant for years. All the while,the flies, ticks and mosquitoes that spread these illnesses aremoving north as rising temperatures make new areas more welcoming. In 2009, dengue emerged in south Florida and infected more than 60people, the first outbreak since 1934, according to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dengue is caused by fourclosely related viruses spread by mosquitoes. It results in jointand muscle pain , severe headaches and bleeding. China Car Diagnostic Interface
The outbreak was first detected in a Rochester, N.Y., woman whotraveled to Key West, Fla., for one week, with several Key Westresidents subsequently reporting infections. The infection raterose to 5 percent, which CDC said indicated "a serious risk oftransmission." According to the Monroe County Health Department, there hasn't beena confirmed dengue case in the Florida Keys since November 2010."We keep the public aware that they need to be dumpingstanding water and wearing mosquito repellent," explainedChris Tittle, public information officer at the health department.The outbreak may have been linked to travel from Latin America andthe Caribbean, where the disease's incidence has risen fourfoldover the past 30 years. In 2010, Puerto Rico faced the largestdengue epidemic in its history. However, not every outbreak is imported, and future epidemics maycome from within. China Launch X431 Scanner
"There's a substantial but hidden burden oftropical disease in the United States, particularly among people inpoverty," said Peter Hotez, founding dean of the NationalSchool of Tropical Medicine, the first such school in the UnitedStates, at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Diseases likeleishmaniasis often are not tracked rigorously in this country andare classified as neglected, unlike vector-borne illnesses likeLyme disease that are monitored. Little data or public awareness Since there is a dearth of data, it is hard to distinguish to whatextent neglected tropical diseases are actually endemic in theUnited States or are brought by travelers and immigrants. It isalso hard to tell if the number of infections is rising or ifpeople are just noticing them more. "In most cases, we don't know.
We're just really getting ourarms around how pervasive the disease is," said Hotez, who isstudying these diseases in communities along the Gulf Coast."People jump to the conclusion that it must be immigrationcoming up from Mexico or Central America, but we don't think that'sthe case." Hotez believes some of these diseases may be spreadingindigenously, though other infections do have stronger links toimmigration. For example, Chagas disease is a parasitic infectioncaused by Trypanosoma cruzi , a single-celled parasite. It causes swelling at the infectionsite and, if left untreated, develops into a chronic illness thatcan be asymptomatic or unfelt in most people and can causedigestive, heart and nervous system failures in others.
But Americans are traveling more, and as tropical vacationersreturn home, they may unwittingly bring back dangerous souvenirs.Immigrants from endemic regions are also bringing in thesediseases, some of which can lie dormant for years. All the while,the flies, ticks and mosquitoes that spread these illnesses aremoving north as rising temperatures make new areas more welcoming. In 2009, dengue emerged in south Florida and infected more than 60people, the first outbreak since 1934, according to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dengue is caused by fourclosely related viruses spread by mosquitoes. It results in jointand muscle pain , severe headaches and bleeding. China Car Diagnostic Interface
The outbreak was first detected in a Rochester, N.Y., woman whotraveled to Key West, Fla., for one week, with several Key Westresidents subsequently reporting infections. The infection raterose to 5 percent, which CDC said indicated "a serious risk oftransmission." According to the Monroe County Health Department, there hasn't beena confirmed dengue case in the Florida Keys since November 2010."We keep the public aware that they need to be dumpingstanding water and wearing mosquito repellent," explainedChris Tittle, public information officer at the health department.The outbreak may have been linked to travel from Latin America andthe Caribbean, where the disease's incidence has risen fourfoldover the past 30 years. In 2010, Puerto Rico faced the largestdengue epidemic in its history. However, not every outbreak is imported, and future epidemics maycome from within. China Launch X431 Scanner
"There's a substantial but hidden burden oftropical disease in the United States, particularly among people inpoverty," said Peter Hotez, founding dean of the NationalSchool of Tropical Medicine, the first such school in the UnitedStates, at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Diseases likeleishmaniasis often are not tracked rigorously in this country andare classified as neglected, unlike vector-borne illnesses likeLyme disease that are monitored. Little data or public awareness Since there is a dearth of data, it is hard to distinguish to whatextent neglected tropical diseases are actually endemic in theUnited States or are brought by travelers and immigrants. It isalso hard to tell if the number of infections is rising or ifpeople are just noticing them more. "In most cases, we don't know.
We're just really getting ourarms around how pervasive the disease is," said Hotez, who isstudying these diseases in communities along the Gulf Coast."People jump to the conclusion that it must be immigrationcoming up from Mexico or Central America, but we don't think that'sthe case." Hotez believes some of these diseases may be spreadingindigenously, though other infections do have stronger links toimmigration. For example, Chagas disease is a parasitic infectioncaused by Trypanosoma cruzi , a single-celled parasite. It causes swelling at the infectionsite and, if left untreated, develops into a chronic illness thatcan be asymptomatic or unfelt in most people and can causedigestive, heart and nervous system failures in others.