Dealing with more bug bites than usual? Mosquitos are at 3 times their normal number in Maryland this summer. (Baltimore Sun)

Thursday Jul 5th, 2018

First came the rains. Now come the mosquitoes.

Populations of the itch-inducing insects have multiplied across Maryland — in many areas up to three times their normal early summer numbers — because of recent storms and flooding that have given them an abundance of water to breed in

“The mosquito-borne illnesses can cause a range of health issues, including infection that can spread to the brain,” said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana S. Wen.

“These are illnesses that can be fatal,” Wen said, “but are preventable” though practices such as wearing long sleeves at peak times of the day, using repellent and getting rid of standing water.

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When I’ve asked experts about these approaches, it’s not that any of them are bad. It’s that they fall short. For instance, Leana Wen, the former health commissioner of Baltimore (and soon-to-be president of Planned Parenthood), said that the Support for Patients and Communities Act “is simply tinkering around the edges.”

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