191 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
191 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
health
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healthnews
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7915695
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-----
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# Blandford fly: surge in 'infected' insect bites blamed on new superfly
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## A new superfly has been blamed for a suspected surge in infected insect
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bites that in extreme cases have left some victims hospitalised, wildlife
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experts warned.
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![Mollie King: Blandford fly: surge in 'infected' insect bites blamed on new
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superfly][1]
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Mollie King was forced to poll out of a planned TV appearance due to her
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insect bite. Photo: REX FEATURES
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[![Andrew Hough][2]][3]
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By [Andrew Hough][4] 7:30AM BST 29 Jul 2010
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[Comments][5]
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The Blandford fly, a tiny insect normally found in the country, appears to
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have reproduced in city areas, largely thanks to the growing popularity of
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garden water features.
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Wildlife experts said the tiny insect, which is also known as the black fly,
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can leave bites which often turn infectious and potentially leaving some
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victims in need of hospital treatment.
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They fear the Blandford fly, which measures only about two or three
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millimetres long, is spreading amid reports of a rise in infected insect bites
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over the past few weeks.
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Experts blamed the recent warm and humid which has made insects, including
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horseflies, mosquitoes and midges, more active, particularly in the evening.
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The balmy summer evenings have also encouraged people into their gardens where
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they are more likely to be bitten, the Daily Mail reported.
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## Related Articles
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* [World's oldest animal][6]
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29 Jul 2010
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* [Women 'more likely to fuss about midge bites'][7]
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29 Jul 2010
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The insects prefer the countryside but can be found in suburban gardens.
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While doctors said they expected to see an increase in insect bites over the
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coming weeks, there appeared to be anecdotal evidence that the surge was
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bigger than normal.
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Mollie King, a 23 year-old Pop singer from The Saturdays group, was forced to
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abandon a planned television appearance earlier this month after she was
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bitten by a fly. She was reportedly treated in hospital for the painful skin
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condition cellulitis after her foot swelled up.
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Stuart Hine, entomologist at the Natural History Museum, said the growing
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popularity of water features over the past 10 years had encouraged the insects
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to migrate to suburban areas.
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"There appears to be more people who have been bitten recently," he [**told
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the paper**][8]
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"I suspect it's mostly about changes in human behaviour because of the warmer
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weather, rather than changes in insect behaviour.
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"We have had a lot of dry, warm spells and there are more people out and
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about, particularly in the evenings, which increases the chance of being
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bitten."
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He added: "Mosquitoes are the biggest biter, but over the last few years there
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has been a greater incidence of black flies. They are beginning to breed more
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in towns and cities."
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Donna Laws-Chapman, practice manager at the Timber Hill Health Centre in
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Norwich, claimed such insect bites were on the rise.
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"We have been inundated with patients suffering from insect bites,
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particularly during the hot weather," she said.
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"A lot of the bites were infected."
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Dr Paul Barnard, of the Royal Entomological Society, said all insects were
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more active during warmer summers.
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"Like all cold blooded things, the warmer the temperature, they better and
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further they can fly," he added.
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[X][9] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][10]
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* Share: [Share][9] [ ][11] [ ][12]
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[Tweet][13]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7915695/Blandford-fly-surge-in-
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infected-insect-bites-blamed-on-new-superfly.html
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Telegraph
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## [Health News][14]
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* ### [News »][15]
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* ### [How about that? »][16]
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* ### [UK News »][17]
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* ### [Earth News »][18]
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* ### [Wildlife »][19]
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In health
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[![Meet some of the bacteria that make up 90 per cent of the living cells in
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your body][20] ][21]
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### [Meet your bacteria][21]
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[![Spring hay fever season: scanning electron microscope pictures of pollen
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grains][22] ][23]
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### [Pollen grains up close][23]
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[![Wolf child: Supatra Sasuphan, 11, is happy to be named the world's hairiest
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girl][24] ][25]
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### [Wolf child][25]
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[![Methamphetamines user. Left image taken in January 2008 and right image
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taken in August 2008. Drugs to Mugs : shocking before and after images put
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together by the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office in the US state of Oregon
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show the cost drug addiction takes on the human face][26] ][27]
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### [From Drugs to Mugs][27]
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[![Dairy farmers lose more than 3p on every litre of milk they produce][28]
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][29]
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### [The end of BSE][29]
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[X][9] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][10]
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Share:
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* [ ][9]
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* [ ][11]
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* [ ][12]
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* [Tweet][13]
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* Advertisement
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![][30]
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telegraphuk
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][31] [blog
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comments powered by Disqus][32]
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Advertisement
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[TELEGRAPH MEDICAL INSURANCE »][33]
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* [Calculators][34]
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* [Advice][35]
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