- Characteristics of the papalomoyo mosquito
- Symptoms and treatment of leishmaniasis
- Prevention
- References
The papalomoyo is the common name of a species of msoquito, of the sandfly family, whose bite transmits leishmaniasis. They tend to live in tropical climates, with a predominant presence in jungle areas of Colombia.
The disease transmitted by the papalomoyo mosquito is a zoonotic disease, that is, it is transmitted from the mosquito to man, never from man to man, and is endemic.
Scientists assure that the proliferation of these mosquitoes in the area of Colombia has to do with the felling of trees, environmental pollution, poor sanitation services and an inefficient primary care medical service.
Characteristics of the papalomoyo mosquito
The papalomoyo mosquito lives mainly in rainy and humid regions and stays during the day in the bark of trees.
It is characterized by being very small, almost a third of a mosquito. It is also known as a white mosquito and its body, wings and legs are covered by hairs, only noticeable when looking at them through a microscope.
Their flight is irregular and they move by means of short flights or small jumps on surfaces such as logs, ground or walls.
As a consequence of the cutting down of trees in the mountains, the papalomoyo mosquito has mutated its habits of living in the middle of the jungle, to find itself in stables and human residences.
They are generally active at night, but in times of rain or high winds they are inactive.
Symptoms and treatment of leishmaniasis
When leishmaniasis occurs on the skin, it is like a regular mosquito bite, but as days go by, the affected skin hardens to form a round ulcer with raised edges, like the shape of a crater. These types of skin lesions heal spontaneously after a few months.
When leishmaniasis lodges in the liver and spleen, medical treatment must be carried out immediately, as it can be fatal to humans.
Symptoms in these cases are very high and persistent fever, diarrhea, dry cough, enlarged spleen and liver, and even bleeding.
In these cases, doctors perform treatments that consist of the application of a series of injections with medications such as fuadine, repodral and glucantime, according to the characteristics and symptoms of the patient.
Prevention
Some prevention measures are:
-When several cases of this disease are reported, it is advisable to fumigate the houses and surroundings.
-The stagnation of water in wells, buckets, pools or any type of aquatic environment where the female of the papalomoyo can deposit her eggs should also be avoided.
- Periodically cut the lawn in the garden, since the papalomoyo mosquito looks for humid places as habitat.
-Protect homes by placing screens on windows, to prevent the entry of papalomoyos and their eventual sting.
-In the case of people who wish to venture into jungle environments, the use of repellents and protective clothing is recommended.
References
- What is leishmaniasis ?, Retrieved on December 24, 2017 from healthline.com
- Center of disease control and prevention, “Lieshmaniasis”, 2016. Retrieved on December 24, 2017 from cdc.gov
- Lettleman, Mary, “Lieshmaniasis”, 2016. Retrieved on December 24, 2017 from medicinenet.com
- Martínez Pérez Viiana, "Leishmaniasis: it is only transmitted by mosquitoes", 2011. Retrieved on December 2, 2017 from eluniversal.com