The Return of the West Nile Virus
Health officials in the New York metropolitan area are planning a full-scale assault to prevent an outbreak of a potentially fatal disease.
The West Nile virus is carried by the common mosquito, and with 20-Million people ripe for the biting, backyards are turning into battlefields this summer.
In the quiet neighborhoods of Staten Island, the first unsettling evidence that West Nile Virus is back in New York City for another summer.
Two dead crows--found seven miles apart--are now confirmed to have been infected with the rare virus that killed seven people and infected more than 60 last summer.
"It does not signal a step up in the amount of viral activity, but it puts us on the alert," says Dr. Neal Cohen, New York City Health Commissioner.
The virus can cause encephalitis in people and is a particular threat to the very young and very old. Counties outside the city have already confirmed the virus's return, and many have started spraying.
A government hotline was buzzing in New York today with questions from anxious residents.
Health officials tracking the spread of the exotic virus, which seems to travel from birds to mosquitoes to people, are not surprised at its return, but there is a new twist in the tale.
Last summer the virus was found only in two species of mosquito. This summer entomologists have discovered it in a third species: the "aedes Japonicus"
"If there are new mosquito species involved in transmitting this disease, then the risk to humans is greatly increased," says Dr. Jonathan Day, an entomologist at the University of Florida.
The aedes japonicus is a particular concern because it feeds during the day. The other mosquitoes feed at night--meaning people could face a 24-hour threat.
Last summer city officials were criticized for not responding quickly enough to this strange new virus. This summer they are not wasting any time. With just two dead crows and no human cases reported, pesticide spraying is scheduled to begin tomorrow.
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