It’s only the fourth day of summer and already eight people have contracted West Nile virus in the United States. So far five states reported the virus in humans, and nine states reported animal cases. Since the first U.S. case of West Nile virus was diagnosed in 1999, incidents of the disease have spread across the country. In 2007, 3,630 people were diagnosed and 124 of them died. Authorities said that flooding in the Midwest left behind a lot of standing water that, when combined with rising summer temperatures, could lead to a bumper crop of West Nile-carrying mosquitoes.
States Reporting West Nile in People, Animals

Cases of West Nile virus in people have been reported in these states:
Arizona
Mississippi
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Texas

And these states reported animal cases of West Nile:
Alabama
Florida
Indiana
South Carolina
Utah
California
Illinois
Louisiana
Texas
West Nile Virus Symptoms

West Nile virus is a form of encephalitis. It can cause long-lasting neurological damage by swelling and compressing the spinal cord and brain.

About 1 in every 150 people who contract West Nile gets seriously ill, with the following symptoms:
high fever
neck stiffness
disorientation
tremors
muscle weakness
numbness
headache
stupor
coma
convulsions
vision loss
paralysis

About 20% who get ill present milder symptoms, including the following:

fever
body aches
vomiting
skin rash on chest, stomach and back
headache
nausea
swollen lymph glands
West Nile Virus Can Also Cause Community Discord

There are two main approaches to controlling mosquito infestations: organically and chemically.

Community discussions about the best method can get pretty heated. This is especially true when tax-supported agencies are responsible and ask for public input.

Here’s a look at both extremes, keeping in mind there’s lots of variations along this continuum.

Organic Mosquito Control

Advocates of this method champion controlling mosquitoes by…
killing mosquito larvae using natural predators-fish, dragonfly nymphs, frogs and diving beetles
killing mosquito adults using natural predators-birds, bats and dragonflies
killing mosquito larvae using microbial larvicides-Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (BTI) and Bacillus Sphaericus (B. Sphaericus)

Chemical Mosquito Control

Advocates of this approach argue that West Nile virus is far worse than anything caused by chemicals sprayed to destroy mosquitoes. In addition to organic methods, their approach includes…
killing mosquito larvae with synthetic larvicides-Methoprene and Temephos (both toxic to other aquatic life forms if used incorrectly)
killing adult mosquitoes by spraying (also called fogging) chemicals-permethrin, resmethrin, sumithrin and malathion

While the Environmental Protection Agency said the above fogging chemicals are safe, long-term effects on humans aren’t yet known.

Posted by Zoov on 24 Jun 2008 07:09 am
Filed Under: Health, Life, World |