Dengue fever vacinne trials good news for Queensland observers

[gary]

For those in northern Queensland, what has been of concern in recent
times is the recent outbreak of the mosquito-borne dengue fever virus.

Believed to have arrived most recently in Cairns from a traveler coming from
Indonesia, there have thus far been 277 confirmed cases of the disease in
Cairns and a further 47 in Townsville.

Worldwide, there are believed to be 50-100 million infections annually killing
about 30,000 people, a large proportion of whom are children.

Since observing enthusiasts in northern Queensland are, by definition, outdoors at night,
the risk of getting bitten by a mosquito are undoubtedly higher compared to those
who remain indoors.

It therefore comes as a sign of hope that the first human trials of a dengue fever
vaccine are about to start in the United States. As reported by ABC news,
developed in Hawaii, a Perth-based drug company has also been working with
the scientists. The hope is the vaccine will be available in the next two to four years.

ABC story here -
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...09/2486005.htm

In the meantime, to our observing friends in the tropical north, take care and
avoid getting bitten!

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Mt. Kuring-Gai

[Jen]

Sounds scary Gary im not going up there now
The mozzies love me

[astroron (Ron)]

Thanks Gary, I heard that on the ABC News Radio this morning, the vaccine can't come soon enough
As is well known Mossies like water troughs and the like, Is there any stuff that can be put in water containers that are lying around that stops mossies breeding?
I have a 200ltr drum and an old bath which catches rain water for the garden which gets plenty of mossie tidlers in them.
I know that you can put Kero in the water but then the birds can't have a bath in the water.
Any other suggestions.

[gary]

Originally Posted by Jen

Sounds scary Gary im not going up there now
The mozzies love me

Hi Jen,

It is funny how those mozzies just love some people!
Maybe you have Royal blood or something?

Undoubtedly with all the recent flooding up there, the risk of the disease
spreading must be a concern to the authorities.

In 1999, a disease known as West Nile Virus came to the United States and spread
from coast to coast. Apparently West Nile has a viral structure similar to dengue
and again the vector is the humble mosquito. We certainly would hate to
see a similar situation occur in Australia with dengue.

Anyway, the far north is still a great place for a holiday, so just don't forget
the repellent and long sleeves at night.

Best Regards

Gary

[gary]

Originally Posted by astroron

Thanks Gary, I heard that on the ABC News Radio this morning, the vaccine can't come soon enough
As is well known Mossies like water troughs and the like, Is there any stuff that can be put in water containers that are lying around that stops mossies breeding?
I have a 200ltr drum and an old bath which catches rain water for the garden which gets plenty of mossie tidlers in them.
I know that you can put Kero in the water but then the birds can't have a bath in the water.
Any other suggestions.

Hi Ron,

Isn't it amazing how quickly the mosquitoes can exploit the smallest container
of water? All one has to do is leave out an empty tin in the rain and it is just
a matter of days.

The kero would obviously be very unfriendly for your birds who like to bath in it
and to answer your question, I don't know but I know who may, and that is
Scott (aka Wavelandscott).

As a senior manager within Sumitomo Chemical, Scott has considerable
knowledge in this area as his company is one of the major innovators and
developers of mosquito control methods. In recent email exchanges, Scott
has mentioned man-made and organic larvicides and I would defer to his
considerable expertise in this regard.

Some of the chain hardware stores sell solar-powered water-feature pumps
which could allow the water to circulate a little. Designed for bird baths
and the like, perhaps the continual movement of the water in the day
might act as some deterrent to the mosquitoes, but I can't speak with
any authority as to whether it helps or not.

Hopefully Scott will join the thread with some environmentally friendly suggestions.

Best Regards

Gary

[astroron (Ron)]

Thanks Gary, I hope Scott or someone can come up with an answer.

[Lee]

I have always thought it was near technically impossible, as previous exposure to Dengue would make subsequent infections worse, even life threatening - maybe the boffins have cracked it!

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

Originally Posted by astroron

Thanks Gary, I hope Scott or someone can come up with an answer.

I'll send you a private mesage...

There are a few larvaicide products registered in Australia that would fit the bill for you I think...

Not trying to be "secret" with the infomration just trying to avoid high-jacking a thread and creating a debate on pesticides (organic ones too) and other control options...