Health authorities fear mosquito-borne disease deaths could surge
The mosquito-borne disease has seen a rapid increase in fatalities, with 19 deaths in the first 10 days of August alone, following 41 in July, placing immense pressure on hospitals.
Experts attribute the escalating outbreak to a combination of warm, humid weather, intermittent rainfall, and climate change, creating ideal breeding conditions for Aedes mosquitoes.
Prof Kabirul Bashar warned that hospitals could be overwhelmed without aggressive intervention, predicting August cases might triple July's numbers and peak in September.
Recommendations for control include nationwide mosquito-control drives, community clean-ups, removal of stagnant water, and restructuring healthcare to strengthen district hospitals and expand testing.
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Daily Mail
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'All operable cooling towers in the area have been sampled, and the Health Department has directed building owners with initial positive screening results to initiate remediation, including increased cleaning of the cooling towers. 'We've confirmed compliance at all buildings with initial positive results.' The new regulations will come into force next spring. In New York, owners of cooling towers are required to register their towers and they must comply with regulations designed to prevent Legionella bacteria growth, including regular maintenance and testing. The department of health states that water in a cooling tower system must be treated at least once per day while the system is in operation. Water treatments must include approved oxidizing chemicals and biocides in quantities sufficient to control the presence of Legionella, minimize biofilms, and prevent scaling and corrosion. 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Legionnaires' affects 8,000 to 10,000 Americans every year and kills about 1,000. The five ZIP codes affected in the outbreak are: 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037 and 10039. City health officials said while 'most people who are exposed to the bacteria do not develop Legionnaires' disease,' those who are 50 or older, smoke, have a chronic lung disease or a weakened immune system may be at a higher risk. The news release cautioned people who experience symptoms to 'seek medical attention right away.' Doctors treat the disease using antibiotics, but say these are most effective in the early stages before the disease has spread in the body. Patients are often hospitalized. Dr Asim Cheema, internal medicine and cardiology specialist at Your Doctors Online, told the Daily Mail: 'August is peak season for Legionnaires' disease. Hot weather creates perfect breeding conditions, air conditioning systems work overtime, and people spend more time around water features. 'This isn't a condition to take lightly; it can be fatal if not treated promptly, but it's also completely treatable when caught early.' In milder cases, patients may also suffer from Pontiac fever, a condition causing fever, chills, headache and muscle aches that occurs when the bacteria do not infect the lungs. This condition goes away on its own without treatment and causes no further problems, doctors say. Air conditioning units are seen in the Harlem neighborhood amid a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York City The New York City outbreak was first revealed on July 22, when the health department reported eight cases. All buildings that had units that tested positive for the Legionella bacteria were told to clean their systems within 24 hours. It follows a previous outbreak in July 2015 in the Bronx, which became the second-largest Legionnaires' disease outbreak in the US. Overall, a total of 155 patients were infected and 17 people died due to the disease from July to September that year. The outbreak was eventually linked back to a cooling tower at the Opera House Hotel in the South Bronx, which had been contaminated with the bacteria and was releasing it in water vapor. Dr Cheema recommends flushing home water systems after being away for extended periods of time to get rid of lingering bacteria, using distilled water in home humidifiers and medical devices and avoiding breathing mist from public areas.
