West Nile Expected to Spread West
By ERIN McCLAM
.c The Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) - West Nile virus, which has killed 18 people along the
East Coast since it surfaced in this country three years ago, will probably
continue its westward march this summer, health officials warned Thursday.
And in Southern states, where balmy weather often stretches well into
the fall, the mosquito-borne virus is moving closer to becoming a year-round
threat, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Mosquitoes spread West Nile from infected birds to humans, who can
then develop deadly encephalitis, or swelling of the brain. Humans cannot
pass the virus to one another.
West Nile was first detected in New York in 1999. Last summer was the
most severe so far, with 66 human infections and nine deaths reported.
Sporadic infections have been detected as far west as Illinois, Arkansas
and Louisiana, and health officials said migratory birds will probably
carry the virus even farther west this season.
And transmission by birds makes it difficult for health officials to
guess when and where the virus will show up next.
``It remains somewhat of an unpredictable virus,'' said CDC infectious-disease
expert Dr. Stephen Ostroff. ``There is no reason that the virus wouldn't
continue to expand its geographic range within the United States.''
No human cases have been identified so far in 2002.
The CDC urged people to report dead birds to health authorities and
to protect themselves against mosquito bites by getting rid of standing
water and wearing insect repellent and long sleeves.
West Nile cases have mostly been confined to the summer months, when
mosquitoes thrive. But humans were infected as late as December last year
in Georgia, and birds tested positive in February this year in Florida.
``It's basically indicating in some of these areas that the virus will
set up a year-round transmission,'' Ostroff said.
The symptoms are similar to the flu, including fatigue and fever. There
is no cure for the virus.
On the Net:
CDC West Nile site: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile
06/13/02 13:45 EDT
Crows Test Positive for West Nile
.c The Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Dead crows found in two New Jersey communities have tested positive for West Nile virus, authorities said Monday.
The virus, which killed two people last year, has also been detected this year in several other Eastern states. The disease usually causes only flu-like symptoms but can be fatal for some older people or those with weakened immune systems.
The counties where the crows were found - Bergen and Middlesex - are both increasing their surveillance for mosquitoes. The state plans to spend about $7 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1 to fight the virus.
State health officials said people should use insect repellent, wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts when outdoors and try to stay inside at dawn and in the evening, when mosquitoes are most active.
On the Net: http://www.state.nj.us/governor/westnile
AP-NY-05-08-01 0045EDT
Notice above in this news clip the
warning to avoid mosquito bites, and it identifies the crows as infected,
but nothing is said about all the other birds, which include chickens (where
the disease was detected last year), turkeys, quail etc. or the other animals
which also can act as carriers in their flesh, fluids or ova as well! Mosquitoes
cannot acquire, sustain or transmit the disease unless they have an animal
blood reserve to draw upon! Game and livestock are that vast blood pool
from which they draw! So you can contract this virus directly from the
livestock and flocks yourself, as you butcher, prepare (handling bloody
flesh - without gloves) and consume their bodies, fluids or eggs!
Back to Zoonoses.org
Md. Finds First West Nile Infection
.c The Associated Press
BALTIMORE (AP) - A dead crow found in the city has tested positive for the West Nile virus, the state's first confirmed case this year, public health officials said.
The virus, which killed two people last year, has also been detected this year in several other Eastern states. The disease usually causes only flu-like symptoms but can be fatal for some older people or those with weakened immune systems.
The bird was one of 94 tested this year by state health authorities. Dr. Peter Beilenson, the city's health commissioner, said it was found on May 18.
``Since this was before the migratory season, this was probably from an over-wintering mosquito,'' Beilenson said Thursday. The disease is spread by mosquitoes.
Beilenson said earlier this month that the city would not spray for mosquitoes if an infected bird was found. ``There are ecological consequences about spraying. West Nile to date has simply not been a public health hazard. We haven't had a single human case (in Maryland),'' Beilenson said.
On the Net:
http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/government/health/
AP-NY-05-25-01 1249EDT
West Nile Virus Found in Fla.
.c The Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The West Nile virus was found in a dead crow in the first discovery of the deadly illness in Florida, state health officials said Friday.
The disease has been blamed for the deaths of nine people in New York and New Jersey in the last two years. There have been no reports of Florida residents being infected, state health officials said.
The crow was found last month east of Tallahassee. The discovery of the virus comes at the beginning of the state's mosquito season.
The virus cannot be spread from person to person, but mosquitos can carry it from animals to humans. There is no known cure for the virus.
Healthy people generally have mild flu-like symptoms, or none at all, when bitten by an infected mosquito. Health officials estimate only one in 100 West Nile infections causes symptoms.
AP-NY-07-06-01 2028EDT
Scientists Warn on West Nile Virus - in rest of USA and Americas
By BROOKE DONALD
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - The West Nile virus is likely to spread farther south and west, possibly reaching Central America and California by early next year, scientists said Monday.
The virus, which is transmitted to humans, birds, horses and other animals by infected mosquitoes, has been reported this year in 20 states - mostly in the Northeast - and the District of Columbia.
Scientists said as millions of birds head south for the winter, they threaten to move the virus to states along the Gulf coast, which have warmer climates and are a haven for mosquitoes.
When the birds migrate in the Spring, the virus could then spread to Midwestern and Western states.
``I see it happening, how soon we don't know,'' Robert McLean, director of the National Wildlife Health Center at the U.S. Geological Survey, told members of Congress in a briefing Monday.
West Nile first appeared in North America in 1999. This year, 15 human cases have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control. One person has died.
Steve Ostroff, federal West Nile coordinator at the CDC, said that while the virus is spreading, fewer than 1 percent of the people bitten by an infected mosquito will become seriously ill.
``This is a problem we're going to have to deal with for the years to come...The issue for us is not to think about eradicating the virus. That's not feasible. We have to think of controlling it,'' Ostroff said.
He said using insect repellants, covering up in long pants and shirts, and staying inside at dusk are some precautions people can take to guard against contracting the virus through mosquito bites.
The West Nile virus causes a flulike illness. For older people and those with weak immune systems, it can cause deadly encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.
A vaccine against the virus is available for horses. The National Institutes of Health predicts there will be a vaccine for people within 2 years.
AP-NY-09-10-01 1836EDT
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