I have been seeing more of Tiger Mosquitoes in Eastern Long Island at my parents place. They hunt all day and are very aggressive.
http://boingboing.net/2014/07/17/its-only-a-matter-of-time-be.html
"So what changed? The sudden spread of chikungunya seems to be related to two things. First, the virus itself mutated. The strain that's spreading around the world is different from the one that hung around sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, it's much more efficient at replicating itself in the guts of mosquitoes. That seems to have increased both its ability to move into new places and its ability to be carried by different species of mosquito.
That last bit is important because it ties in with the other reason chikungunya is suddenly global. The mutated virus is following in the footsteps of an invasive mosquito that spread around the world years before. The Asian tiger mosquito — Aedes albopictus — has a wider range than other species that can carry chikungunya. And that mutation in the chikungunya virus made it a much better vector for chikungunya than it was in the past. Bring the mutation and the invasive mosquito together, and you have a recipe for the global spread of a virus — including its spread into the United States."
http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...ates_cdc_and_other_experts_worried_about.html
"Adding to the reasons for alarm is the fact that chikungunya doesn’t need a reservoir—it can be spread directly from one human host to another. This is in contrast with several other mosquito-borne pathogens, including West Nile virus, which needs to replicate inside a bird before it can pass from a mosquito to a human. The special characteristics of tiger mosquitoes once again exacerbate the problem—these particular mosquitoes prefer feeding off of, and living close to, humans. (Many mosquitoes, in contrast, feed opportunistically on humans, while primarily targeting other animals.) Tiger mosquitoes are also daytime feeders, which means that while other species are taking a break, preferring to feed at dawn or twilight, the tigers keep chomping during the times of day when humans are most active."
http://boingboing.net/2014/07/17/its-only-a-matter-of-time-be.html
"So what changed? The sudden spread of chikungunya seems to be related to two things. First, the virus itself mutated. The strain that's spreading around the world is different from the one that hung around sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, it's much more efficient at replicating itself in the guts of mosquitoes. That seems to have increased both its ability to move into new places and its ability to be carried by different species of mosquito.
That last bit is important because it ties in with the other reason chikungunya is suddenly global. The mutated virus is following in the footsteps of an invasive mosquito that spread around the world years before. The Asian tiger mosquito — Aedes albopictus — has a wider range than other species that can carry chikungunya. And that mutation in the chikungunya virus made it a much better vector for chikungunya than it was in the past. Bring the mutation and the invasive mosquito together, and you have a recipe for the global spread of a virus — including its spread into the United States."
http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...ates_cdc_and_other_experts_worried_about.html
"Adding to the reasons for alarm is the fact that chikungunya doesn’t need a reservoir—it can be spread directly from one human host to another. This is in contrast with several other mosquito-borne pathogens, including West Nile virus, which needs to replicate inside a bird before it can pass from a mosquito to a human. The special characteristics of tiger mosquitoes once again exacerbate the problem—these particular mosquitoes prefer feeding off of, and living close to, humans. (Many mosquitoes, in contrast, feed opportunistically on humans, while primarily targeting other animals.) Tiger mosquitoes are also daytime feeders, which means that while other species are taking a break, preferring to feed at dawn or twilight, the tigers keep chomping during the times of day when humans are most active."
