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Epidemics are usually caused by insects like mosquitoes such as the one that hit St. Louis in 1933. The insect-borne type, which one can acquire from either the Aedes or Culex mosquito, is called primary encephalitis and is picked up from domestic or wild animals.
Typical symptoms of encephalitis are acute and sudden headache, fever, restlessness, nausea and vomiting. In severe cases, there is stiffness of the neck muscles, tremors and drowsiness that may lead to coma.
"In infants, a bulging in the soft spot of the skull (the fontanelle) and a stiff neck are the key symptoms. In older children, severe headache and sensitivity to light may be more significant. In adults, mental disturbances, from severe disorientation to coma, may be the most outstanding clinical feature," according to Dr. David E. Larson, editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic Family Health Book."
The outcome of encephalitis varies from person to person. In some, it may be transient and benign. In others, encephalitis may result in loss of memory, speech impairment, paralysis, hearing or vision defects. Insect-borne encephalitis also has a high mortality rate.
Since mosquitoes are the harbingers of death and disease, you should declare war against these deadly insects. Don't give them room to breed.
To add more muscle in your fight against them, here are some guidelines from "Insect and Rodent Control Through Environmental Management: A Community Action Program" published by the World Health Organization:
Reduce water storage within the house to a minimum. However, this may not be possible in areas without a piped water supply or where water is intermittent. In such cases, care should be taken to keep all water containers securely covered.
Eliminate all unwanted standing water and invert containers. This is necessary because mosquito larvae dive to the bottom of the container when disturbed, and may survive in the water left at the bottom.
Remove rain water which has collected in roof gutters.
Replace water in animal drinking pans and flower vases everyday.
Control the breeding of mosquitoes in pit latrines by covering the water surface with paraffin oil. Another control method is the use of polystyrene balls (Styrofoam) to form a complete physical barrier over the water to prevent the female mosquito from laying eggs. These balls are cheap, non-toxic, and virtually indestructible.
Screen doors and windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering the house. (Next: More ways to stop mosquitoes.)
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