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Health See other Health Articles Title: Sign of the Apocalypse? Plague Is Back, With a Disturbing Twist yahoo... If you thought the film Contagion was frightening, this medical plot twist may scare you even more—because it’s real. Back in November, the island nation of Madagascar confirmed 119 cases of plague, including 40 deaths. But the bad news recently took a disturbing turn: “The fleas that transmit this ancient disease from rats to humans have developed resistance to the first-line insecticide,” Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, said in a new report. You probably recognize the infectious disease as the one known as the “Black Death,” which during the 14th century became a devastating epidemic that claimed an estimated 50 million lives throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. Caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, the disease spreads from rodents to humans via infected fleas. Those infected generally develop bubonic plague—exhibiting swollen lymph nodes and flu-like symptoms—or, if it spreads to the lungs, the deadlier advanced form, pneumonic plague. Caught early, antibiotics can effectively treat the disease; left untreated, however, plague kills 30 to 60 percent of those infected. Steamboats from India carried plague to Madagascar in 1898. What makes the recent outbreak there particularly troubling is that scientists have been warning about insecticide resistance in fleas for years. Plague surveillance in Madagascar was discontinued in 2006 due to a lack of funding, but almost 17 years ago—and just six years after the first-line insecticide was initially used in Madagascar—an article published in the Journal for Emerging Infectious Diseases closed with the admonition, “the increasing resistance of fleas to insecticides have caused much concern.” A November 2014 study conducted by the health research center Institut Pasteur in Madagascar found conclusive evidence that more than 80 percent of the fleas tested were resistant to Deltamethrin, the insecticide referenced in the WHO report. Out of the 32 flea populations examined, only two demonstrated susceptibility to the insecticide. The report’s authors conclude, “In the…re-emergence of plague…in Madagascar, Deltamethrin is ineffective against fleas. Its use in Madagascar should be stopped and the control program for plague diseases needs to change to another insecticide.” While the study explains that many factors could contribute to the fleas’ increased resistance to insecticides—including environment, climate, geography, urbanization, and human social and cultural behaviors—the core mechanism at work is natural selection. Each time a population of fleas is treated with insecticide, fleas that by some quirk have a built-in resistance survive and breed to create the next generation of fleas, born genetically resistant to the insecticide that wiped out their parents’ peers. Over time, the insecticide becomes less effective as the flea populations are increasingly comprised of only those with the quirk of DNA that protects against it. To compensate for its lowered levels of efficacy, a higher concentration of the insecticide is often used—which breeds a generation of fleas even more resistant than the last. For the people of Madagascar, Deltamethrin restistance is a case of déjà vu all over again. Use of the insecticide, a man-made version of a natural insecticide that chrysanthemum flowers produce, began in the 1990s after insects developed resistance to the flea-control chemical being used at the time. Some scientists have hypothesized that fleas’ resistance to Deltamethrin may be a result of the species’ exposure to the old insecticide. What can be done? For now, Institut Pasteur researchers are testing 12 insecticides to see which will be most effective at controlling flea populations. Without plague surveillance, however, there is no way to tell how long it will take for the fleas to build resistance to the next line of insecticides. Funding shortfalls also continue to stand in the way of those trying to track and control plague in Madagascar—not to mention the growing number of other health concerns the institute must deal with: When Sébastien Boyer, head of the medical entomology unit at the institute, was contacted for comment on the status of the insecticides currently being tested, he responded by e-mail, “No time...we are currently in malaria outbreak in Farafangana...sorry.” Original article from TakePart Marty Bring out the cats! Witches and witchcraft was so "not-popular" in the middle ages owning a cat got you persecuted because it was a familiar to the supposed witch. So in a grand scheme all cats were killed and rats bred so fast the fleas literally took on a form of their own, The Black Death.. Learn from history do not repeat it, get Mr. Claws and his pals to kill the rats. But first use the Frontline defense- flea collars! 78-6 James Here is what people need to understand the science behind this. Flea's aren't evolving. What happens is in any given population of fleas there will be some that are immune to certain pesticides, those a the ones that survive. Now the survivors mate and their offspring are also immune. If you keep using the same pesticide for long periods, and high concentrations you end up killing off the entire population of the ones that are not immune, what you are left with- is all of them having immunity. But they did not EVOLVE I am a Licensed Pesticide Applicator this is taught from day one in training. 6-6 LizArd It's not necessarily the rats biting people that spreads the disease-fleas bite humans too and it can spread that way too. And fleas can be any where-cats, dogs, rodents and even just in the grass. Controlling the flea population controls the disease-even if we were able to get rid of every single rat, the fleas would just find a new vessel. 2-2 M The Rats harbor the disease, the Fleas transmit the disease. A two-pronged attack really is the best course. Fewer rats, fewer fleas, less disease. 7-1 Ken Borax , peroxide , and H20 ! Flea's do NOT develop a tolerance to that ! Half a cup of borax , mix with half a cup of water , add two cups peroxide [regular 3 % store-bought] mix ! For Dogs only ! Do NOT use on cats ! Use on dogs once a week for a month = NO Flea's ! You need to check the internet for the recipe as it might be one full cup of water ! Mix borax into water first as it won't dissolve in peroxide ! I'm serious , this stuff works as I live with six dogs and we HAD a horrible flea problem ! Now , without poison pesticide , we have solved our flea plague ! Although this can NOT be used on cats we also have three cats and the cats fleas also died from just treating the dogs ! DO NOT USE ON CATS ! 28-2 Nick why are they not using growth regulator's I have worked pest control for 10 year we change the chemical class at least once a year because all bugs become resistance to everything or is yahoo just looking to panic everyone for no reason? 22 Woof Plague has always been with us. "Plague" carriers, ground squirrels and other rodents are all over the southwest. Visitors to areas where these rodents live are warned to stay away from them. While it is important to not create insect populations that are resistant to pesticides, I am more concerned about resistance to drug treatment. So-called "plague" is easily treatable by tetracycline type drugs if correctly diagnosed and treated in time. So, killing the fleas is less of a concern to me than killing the virus when it is contracted. Stay away from those cute little rodents when camping in southwest parks—they generally have warning signs along all marked trails. 27-1 Richard G Hello. Many people do not know this but Adolf Hitler wanted to deport all of the Jews of Europe to the island of Madagascar. He planned to conquer England first and then use their captured merchant marine ships to transport the deportees. However, Hitler failed and lost the "Battle for England"; thus his secondary plan was the Holocaust. This is just one of those obscure facts of history of which many people are unaware. 6-3 Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
(Edited)
They probably got some Leftist loon to paint those impudent, chutzpah signs for them -- the plague infested varmints that undoubtedly also leave parasitic droppings inconsiderately everywhere they go, too, along their trails as territorial markers of area denial to humans; like we don't even count as being higher lifeforms or any part of nature at all! And that's the kind of thanks we get from their bug-eyed, tree-hugging, weather-harping Commie compadres after all we've done through the years to build sanitation systems in this world and our cabins/shelters with more plaster nowadays than logs. Buzz off, boogaloos. Spelling edits. ------- "They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
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