2006 Prof. Frank Hadley Collins, Dir., Cntr. for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, Univ. of Notre Dame This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito while she was in the process of acquiring a blood meal from her human host, who in this instance, was actually the biomedical photographer, James Gathany, here at the Centers for Disease Control. The feeding apparatus consisting of a sharp, orange-colored “fascicle”, which while not feeding, is covered in a soft, pliant sheath called the "labellum”, which retracts as the sharp stylets contained within pierce the host's skin surface, as the insect obtains its blood meal. The orange color of the fascicle is due to the red color of the blood as it migrates up the thin, sharp translucent tube. Note the distended abdominal exoskeleton, which being translucent, allowed the color of the ingested blood meal to be visible. DF and DHF are primarily diseases of tropical and sub-tropical areas, and the four different dengue serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4), are maintained in a cycle that involves humans and the Aedes mosquito. However, Aedes aegypti, a domestic, day-biting mosquito that prefers to feed on humans, is the most common Aedes species. Infections produce a spectrum of clinical illness ranging from a nonspecific viral syndrome to severe and fatal hemorrhagic disease. Important risk factors for DHF include the strain of the infecting virus, as well as the age, and especially the prior dengue infection history of the patient.

WASHINGTON – Three Valley mayors were among 77 who urged congressional leaders Tuesday to do what everyone seems to agree is necessary – pass stalled legislation to fund Zika virus research before they go on another recess.

The House in June approved $1.1 billion for Zika research that had been shifted from other programs, but the House measure included language restricting funding for Planned Parenthood.

That language has stalled the measure in the Senate, where Democrats oppose the Planned Parenthood cuts and Republicans have not yet budged.

It was the sort of political jockeying that U.S. mayors want to see end in this session and contributed to the urgency of a letter they sent Tuesday.

“The problem that provoked and prompted the mayors to speak out is the political gridlock,” said Mesa Mayor John Giles. “This public health issue has gotten caught up in a partisan political squabble.”

Giles, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell were among those signing the letter calling for action.

Those mayors urged action at a time when the region faces the seasonal rains that could bring a growing threat of mosquitoes, particularly the Aedes mosquitoes capable of transmitting the virus.

“We do have the monsoon season,” Giles said. “It’s humid and wet, and we’re prone to develop mosquitos, and they happen to be good at transmitting Zika.”

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton was traveling Tuesday and unavailable for comment, but a spokesman said the mayor shares Giles’ concerns about the upcoming peak mosquito season and a frustration with inaction in Washington.

When President Barack Obama asked Congress for emergency Zika funding back in February, mosquito populations in the Valley were negligible and the threat across the county was minimal. As the months-long political gamesmanship has continued, concerns from mayors have grown.

According to the letter, more than 600 pregnant women in the U.S. have tested positive for Zika. Nearly an additional 1,000 cases plague pregnant women in U.S. territories.

In its first week back after its traditional August recess, Senate Democrats blocked an Republican attempt to end a filibuster on the funding measure, but senators on both sides of the aisle are reportedly working on a compromise.

The measure would have to go back to the House if it is changed in the Senate. But both chambers are scheduled to leave again for recess in October – if not sooner – and continuing until after the November elections.

Giles said when a crisis is so important, partisanship needs to make way for legislation. The threat of Zika in American cities is that important, he said.

“I’m an elected official … and I know there is games in the legislative process,” he said. “Occasionally, they (lawmakers) have to be reminded to prioritize.

“We cannot expose the health of the country. There are times that you’d have to rise above that,” Giles said.

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