Mosquito Coast

Above- Ardmore, a Carna neighborhood

Recently, many people came to the clinic with various rashes. There were localized areas of red swelling, some as large as a small apple. Typically there was only one lesion per patient.No one had seen an actual insect. At first, my inclination was to call them spider bites. Dr. Casey theorized that they were mosquito bites. Dr. Hooke reported that he had seen mosquitoes, and that they had bitten his legs multiple times. He is a hardy soul, who tends to wear shorts, year round. Finally, I was nailed by one, confirming to myself that the anopheles mosquito was the culprit.

This was quite fascinating, as nobody here, even the elderly Irish, has ever seen a mosquito before. I would show them pictures, and they would be amazed. I captured one in a jar, and the patients would be fascinated to see it. The typical bite would swell up 2+ inches, maybe due to the "virgin" blood. Dr. Casey went on the Irish language radio station, informing the listeners about this unusual phenomenon. Dr. Hooke hypothesized that perhaps a storm carried them across the Atlantic. Historically, a non endemic bird would be blown over to Ireland, from thousands of miles away. Typically, they would not survive, as they would have no mate. Some patients attributed this to global warming. Dr. Hooke mentioned that the Tiger mosquito has invaded Italy, from Africa. It carries Chikungunya fever, like "break bone disease". This awful infection causes such severe body pain, you feel like your bones are breaking. Another result of climate change? Well, last night it was near freezing (with beautiful moonlight over the coastline), so I suspect this unusual mosquito infestation is thankfully finished!