6 November - 12 November 2017 - 16-min

14
6 - 12 November, 2017
T
S
Technology & Health
NEW DELHI TIMES
Protection from Mosquito: Separating Facts from Fancy
www.NewDelhiTimes.com
◆◆By Smt. Maneka
Sanjay Gandhi
@ManekaGandhiBJP
he most important animal in your
life, no matter where you are, is the
mosquito. Therefore, you should know the
facts about it. Separating fact from fancy can
help us better protect ourselves.
All mosquitoes are the same:
Fact - Mosquitoes of different species are as
different from each other as a lion is from
a housecat. They have different behaviour,
very different preferences of what they want
to eat and where they might live. Urban
species don’t do well in the country and some
species thrive only in one specific region.
Which mosquitoes like your environment
can have an effect on the types of diseases
you’re exposed to.
All Mosquitoes Carry Disease:
Fact - There are over 3,000 mosquito species
worldwide, but only a couple of hundred
are important medically. Most species of
mosquito don’t even bite humans -- some
prefer other animals like amphibians,
birds, horses and reptiles. Specific species
carry specific diseases: For example, West
Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus
come from the genera Culex. Chikungunya,
dengue and yellow fever are carried by
Aedes mosquitoes. Zika is spread by Aedes
agypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito,
Malaria is transmitted by species of the
Anopheles genus.
Droughts mean less mosquitoes:
Fact - While mosquitoes breed in water,
droughts are some of the most diseasepromoting.
The water may be less but
it is dirtier and therefore appealing to
mosquitoes. The lack of water sources
◆◆
By Dr. Anveeta Agarwal
@AnveetaAgarwal
Toothache: It’s Not Always Cavities
anveeta@dantah.com
ome patients have impeccably clean
mouths and a good oral hygiene with no
visible sign of tooth decay, but they complain
of an annoying toothache. These patients
may visit several dentists and specialists
and may undergo root canal therapy,
dental extractions and other procedures
without any relief. Such patients need to
be examined carefully for diseases of other
parts of the body and be treated accordingly.
This kind of dental pain is usually referred,
which means the problem lies elsewhere but
due to the intricate network of nerves which
connects the tooth to adjoining areas, pain
travels from the main site of disease to the
teeth and is called ‘referred dental pain’.
The pain can be present at all times or can
be intermittent. It is usually felt in the teeth
or in the surrounding areas such as the gums
and bone. Pain can also migrate from one
tooth to another and even change sides of
the mouth. The pain may be present for
weeks to several years. Referred dental pain
needs to be carefully diagnosed to prevent
unnecessary dental extractions and dental
interventions. Many a time, these warn
the individual of an impending danger and
means that mosquitoes and birds -- who
carry many of the mosquito-borne illnesses
that affect us -- are crowded together to
share the resource.
Both male and female mosquitoes bite
humans
Fact -Only the females bite as they require
the protein in our blood to produce their
eggs. Males feed on other sources, such as
flower nectar.
Mosquitoes prefer people with “sweet
blood”:
Fact - No. Mosquitoes are not attracted to
people with more blood sugar. Researchers
have found that mosquitoes have a love of
carbon dioxide, lactic acid and certain strains
of bacteria that some people have in higher
concentrations. Some people have more
carbon dioxide. Some sweat more. People
who do heavy exercise make themselves
more attractive to mosquitoes due to a potent
combination of sweat, carbon dioxide, and
lactic acid a compound found in sweat. This
means that you’ll be more likely to get bitten
if you sit outside after a run. Scent can also
play a role.
Mosquitoes prefer people with Blood Type
O:
Fact - No, the type makes no difference.
Mosquitoes bite people because they require
protein for breeding, not sugar. Some facets
of a human’s genetics, such as skin bacteria,
may have an effect, but blood type is not one
of these factors.
People who have fair skin get bitten more:
Fact - The bites show up more on fair people,
but all colours get the same number of bites.
Mosquitoes bite people regardless of their
size:
Fact - Mosquitoes prefer larger people to
should not be ignored. Some common causes
of toothache, which stems from causes other
than the tooth, are discussed below.
• Temporomandibular jaw and
surrounding muscles
Aching muscles with localized tender areas
can refer pain to other structures in consistent
patterns. Jaw muscles usually refer pain to
the teeth, and this can be perceived as dental
or intraoral pain. The pain can increase with
overuse of the muscles. The muscles that
help in chewing food can be under strain due
to overuse, temporomandibular jaw issues,
clenching habit etc. These muscles become
sore and tender and refer pain to the teeth.
Treatment involves locating the cause of the
muscle tenderness and unloading the strain
on the musculature.
• Neural pain
The trigeminal nerve is one of the most
important nerves that provide sensation to
the face and teeth. In a condition known
as trigeminal neuralgia, episodes of short
and extremely severe pain occur in the face
simply after brushing the teeth, eating or
touching the cheek. This pain can sometimes
be felt in a tooth, mimicking a toothache.
Proper diagnosis requires a neurological
evaluation and brain imaging. Education,
smaller ones. Adults will be bitten more than
children, and men more than women. This is
probably because larger people emit higher
quantities of carbon dioxide and body heat,
and provide more surface area for feasting.
Pregnant women get bitten more:
Fact - True. Pregnant women give off more
heat and carbon dioxide.
Garlic, Vitamin B supplements or bananas
will ward off mosquitoes:
Fact - There is no scientific or anecdotal data
to suggest that they have any effect.
Alcohol drinkers attract more mosquitoes:
Fact - A study in Burkina Faso has found
that beer consumption increases the human’s
attractiveness to mosquitoes.
You are safe if you spend your time indoors,
especially with airconditioning:
Fact - Avoiding the outdoors at certain times
a day, especially early evenings, is one of the
ways suggested to avoid exposure to bites.
Staying inside with doors and windows shut,
will lower your risk. But mosquitoes can be a
problem inside. Some, especially the Aedes
aegypti mosquito, live in nooks and crannies
in homes and gardens. Some mosquitoes
breed in boiler rooms and potted-plant
containers. So in high risk areas, even if the
airconditioning is on, the best thing to do is
sleep under nets.
Swamps are dangerous to live near and
wetlands should be drained to get rid of
mosquitoes:
Fact - While mosquitoes like warm and
marshy swamps and wetlands, removing
these will not have any effect on mosquito
populations or mosquito borne diseases.
Many mosquitoes are much more
comfortable in human habitats. Aedes
aegypti live with humans as it is easier to
anticonvulsant medications and sometimes
microsurgery are used to treat this condition.
• Referral headache pain
Migraines and cluster headaches result
from changes in the nerves and blood
vessels of the head. In some cases, through
referral patterns of the trigeminal nerve,
these headaches can also be felt in the
teeth, causing toothaches. The pain can be
spontaneous, severe and throbbing in nature.
Treatment involves establishing the cause of
the headache and medications.
• Heart Attack and Angina
Heart problems such as angina pectoris or
acute myocardial infarction (heart attack),
refer pain to the shoulder, arm and even
to the jaw. Sometimes it is associated with
chest pain but occasionally it is not. Intense
tooth or jaw pain can signal a heart attack
when associated with other features like
shoulder pain, breathlessness, nausea and
sweating. Medical help should be sought
immediately if pain of this nature occurs.
• Sinusitis
Problems in the maxillary sinuses can refer
pain to the upper teeth. The pain is usually
felt in several upper teeth as dull, aching
or throbbing. Sometimes it is associated
find blood. Females lay their eggs in artificial
containers with a bit of standing water -
flower pots, vases, tires, buckets, planters,
toys, birdbaths, empty garbage cans, lids.
That is why it is vital to check your house,
garden and neighbourhood for these kinds
of containers. Empty them, turn them over,
dry them out. Empty and refresh water in
birdbaths and fountains at least once a week
to keep mosquitoes from maturing.
Cold and dry climates keep mosquitoes
away:
Photo Credit : Shutterstock
Fact - Not true anymore. Research shows
that mosquito populations increase with
higher spring soil moisture levels—heavy
snowfall, snowmelt and spring rain all
provide sufficient standing water to allow
the breeding of mosquitoes, even in typically
“dry” areas.
Bats should be brought in to eat mosquitoes:
Fact - While bats are extremely useful
insect eaters, mosquitoes are far too small to
interest them. They eat them but not in such
large quantities, as the energy they need to
catch them outweighs the food benefit.
For Full Article : http://www.
newdelhitimes.com/ protection-frommosquito-separating-facts-from-fancy
To join the animal welfare movement
contact gandhim@nic.in,
www.peopleforanimalsindia.org
with pressure below the eyes and it can
increase with lowering the head, putting
pressure over the sinuses, coughing or
sneezing. Tests performed on your teeth,
such as cold, chewing and percussion, can
increase the pain from sinus origin. A history
of an upper respiratory infection, nasal
congestion or sinus problem should lead to
suspicion of a “sinus toothache.” Treatment
with antihistaminics, decongestants and
antibiotics will help alleviate the pain.
In patients with persistent toothache that
is fleeting and mysterious in nature, a
comprehensive evaluation and assessment
should be done by a dental surgeon to help
identify the problem. Other diagnostic tests,
such as MRI or CT scans, may be advised
depending on the symptoms and clinical
findings. These investigations further assess
the problem and help to rule out other
conditions. Consults from other physicians
like ENT surgeons, neurologists may also
be advised. Undiagnosed toothache/jaw
ache should never be ignored and dismissed.
They might be a warning sign of underlying
problems and need to be diagnosed and
treated on time.
By Dr. Anveeta Agarwal, BDS, MDS,
Consultant Oral Pathologist, Associate
Dental Surgeon & a Specialist at
Dantah