Thursday October 11, 2007

Morgellons epidemiology, California

According to http://morgellons.org/geography.htm  "Although California represents 12% of the US population, 24% of all families in the U.S. who have registered with the Morgellons Research Foundation reside in California"

Northern California "red dot" epicenter -- is *exactly* where i used to live, and where there was a constant invasion of mosquitos from Glen Park Creek and underground aquifers from the hills.

Southern California's "red zone" appears to be associated with waterways and wetlands near Huntington Beach:

Meanwhile, back at the suburban californian ranch-home http://www.lawestvector.org/black_flies.htm appear to be a problem one of the Morgellons-endemic regions, Los Angeles:

Black Flies

Black flies are small, dark flies with a humped back that can give a painful bite. Unlike a mosquito (which  sucks up blood through a proboscis), black flies slash the skin and lap up the pooled blood.  Their  larvae (left) and pupae (below) usually attach themselves to rocks and vegetation in flowing streams.  They belong in the order Diptera (Flies), to the family Simuliidae .

Black flies are feared in many regions because of the relentless and intolerable nature of their attacks, not only on man, but on livestock, poultry, and wildlife. Attacks can not only provoke severe reactions in many bitten individuals, but often have serious social and economic effects.

The experience of being continually bitten, unable to step outside from countless bites, is a demoralizer with few equals, and if the flies are not deterred with repellents or controlled by insecticides they can badly disrupt any commercial or recreational outdoor pursuit in black fly areas.

[...]  black flies are also carriers of the filarial disease Onchocerciasis, commonly referred to as River Blindness. A blackfly carrying larvae of Onchocerca volvulus bites a victim and transmits the infection. The larvae grow into groups of string-like worms that live wrapped up in a bump under the skin. Adult female worms produce thousands of tiny microfilariae for approximately 8-12 years. Unlike the adults, the microfilariae migrate throughout the victim's skin, causing skin disfigurement and intense itching. The worms can cause permanent damage when they reach the eyes, impairing sight and finally causing blindness. When another blackfly bites the victim and then bites an uninfected person, it begins the cycle of infection again.
 
Since 1990, the District has implemented a year-round integrated treatment program to control the black fly problem in areas of the Santa Monica Mountains (see photo right - technician repelling down a 200 ft. cliff face into blackfly treatment area). This bothersome fly can be a great nuisance in Malibu, especially around the Malibu Creek/Cold Creek area.   In 1994 and 1995, golfers, hikers, and picnickers at Griffith Park in Los Angeles County were attacked by blackflies. The vicious attacks by the blackflies substantially decreased visits to Griffith Park.