Arizona leads nation in West Nile cases
Jun. 18, 2004 12:00 AM
Arizona leads the nation for people infected with West Nile virus, which causes flulike symptoms most of the time.
Doctors have diagnosed the virus in 20 individuals in Maricopa County. Five other states have at least one human case.
In Arizona, infected individuals range in age from 21 to 78 years. The gender breakdown: 16 men, four women.
The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes. About 20 percent of the time, individuals develop brain-swelling encephalitis. It is fatal about 1 percent of the time.
This is the second year the virus has been identified in Arizona. Health officials remind residents to remove sources of standing water around their homes where mosquitoes breed. They also advise wearing insect repellent and long-sleeve shirts and long-leg pants.
azcentral.com
A chicken. Some fish. A fogging truck and mosquito traps.
Local health officials on Wednesday trotted out an odd assortment of weapons in their war on the West Nile virus.
For its part, the state pledged $100,000 in emergency funds to kill mosquitoes at their breeding sites.
"Today, I'm asking Arizonans to fight the bite," said Gov. Janet Napolitano, using the national slogan to battle the potentially lethal virus.
Arizona is bracing for a rough West Nile virus season. The state recorded 14 human cases last year, including one death. Based on the experience of other Western states, the second year is the worst for the virus. Colorado, for example, went from 14 human cases its first year to 2,945 last year. Of those, 55 people died.
Napolitano said she hopes the emergency funding will "help prevent West Nile virus from afflicting Arizona like it did Colorado" last year.
Several strategies in Maricopa County are already in place to prepare for the upcoming mosquito season. They include:
• Sentinel chickens in flocks around the Valley that are tested to determine whether the virus is present. Chickens do not die or become sick from the virus.
• Small orange fish that eat mosquito larvae before they hatch.
• Fogging trucks that spray neighborhoods at night with pesticides to kill adult mosquitoes. Residents who are sensitive or don't want the chemicals sprayed can call the county to register their complaints.
• Mosquito traps that can be set to collect the insects for testing. The virus is spread primarily by one species of mosquito, which is periodically trapped and tested for the virus.
Horse owners, meanwhile, have been scrambling to get their animals vaccinated against the virus. Last year, 28 horses in Maricopa County became infected. About half of the horses that become infected die. There is no vaccine for humans.
Horse owners ready
Dr. Richard Rezzonico, a veterinarian, said he believes horse owners who routinely immunize their animals against diseases are prepared for the coming season.
For the others, he said, "I think it's going to take an honest to goodness case (of West Nile) to get them vaccinated."
While most people bitten by mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus suffer little more than flulike illness, older individuals and those with compromised immune systems can develop encephalitis, a swelling of the brain, or meningitis, a swelling of the lining of the brain and spinal cord.
The virus was first detected in Uganda in 1937 and made its first appearance in the United States in New York in 1999 and has made a slow, steady march westward. Arizona has had the luxury of learning from other states how to combat mosquitoes that feed on birds infected with the virus.
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