West Nile Virus Continues Deadly March In US And Canada

Saskatchewan Health revealed on its website that thus far it has detected seven confirmed cases of West Nile Neurological Syndrome, while one death has been attributed to it. West Nile encephalitis and West Nile meningitis are forms of severe disease that affect a person’s nervous system.

Encephalitis refers to an inflammation of the brain; meningitis is an inflammation of the membrane around the brain and the spinal cord, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

According to the CDC, West Nile virus infection is established as a seasonal epidemic in North America that flares up in the summer and continues into the fall. West Nile virus (WNV) is a potentially serious illness and this year is predicted to be the worst season in the United States.

California is the worst affected state with 147 people contacting the West Nile virus infection. Among them six cases have proved fatal this year. Furthermore 722 birds have tested positive for the virus in California this year.

California has experienced the worst West Nile virus season in the country. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared an emergency and has pledged $1.35 million to tackle the crisis.

Around 27 states have reported human cases of West Nile Virus this year. They include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

Other than this birds, animals and mosquitoes infected with WNV have been spotted in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

In Illinois 11 people have developed West Nile virus infection with one casualty, while Dallas County Health and Human Services has confirmed that nine cases of west nile virus infection have been detected thus far.

Meanwhile the Mississippi State Department of Health has reported that the number of West Nile cases this year has surged to 23. Last year Mississippi reported 180 human West Nile cases and 14 deaths.

In Canada, Saskatchewan Health is investigating 339 cases of West Nile infection. Additionally it has also identified 397 mosquito pools that have tested positive for the virus.

Although West Nile infection is mild in many cases, one in 150 people can develop severe symptoms, which include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.

Milder symptoms can include fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. The worst of the symptoms arise when West Nile virus invades the neurological system.

Last year there were a total of 4269 West Nile virus infections reported to the CDC among which 177 proved lethal. The worst affected state in terms of fatalities was Texas with 32 deaths in the 354 cases reported to the CDC.

Idaho followed the fatality charts with 21 deaths among the 956 West Nile infections reported to the CDC.

Additionally the following measures are also proposed by the CDC:
* When you are outdoors, use insect repellent containing an EPA-registered active ingredient. Follow the directions on the package.

* Many mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn. Be sure to use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants at these times or consider staying indoors during these hours.

* Make sure you have good screens on your windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.

* Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets and barrels. Change the water in pet dishes and replace the water in bird baths weekly. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children's wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren't being used.

For more information call the CDC public response hotline
At (888) 246-2675 (English), (888) 246-2857 (Español), or (866) 874-2646 (TTY)

1. 26-08-2007 23:27

Much of our mosquitoes in Arizona stem from rental houses owned by investors in California. The local news did a special recently on this very topic and concluded that these owners of rental homes with pools are not maintaining the pools. Some have commented that they need not worry about maintaining them. It would be hard to finger the right culprit for that deadly mosquito however I am all for a stiff penalty for unmaintained pools overall. It's not that hard nor expensive to throw a couple bags of shock in the pool every other week.

2. 27-08-2007 22:17

Owning a pool and maintaining it is much more expensive than you think. But overall, if mosquito's are breeding in a pool, then that is pretty pathetic.

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