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The West Nile virus is transmitted by a mosquito vector and can result in encephalitis in infected humans and equine. The disease can also cause wild and domestic bird deaths. The West Nile Virus was first discovered in a woman from the West Nile District of Uganda in 1937. The disease spread throughout Africa, Eastern Europe, West Asia, and the Middle East, eventually appearing in the Eastern United States in 1999. In 1999, the West Nile Virus was detected in four U.S. states and resulted in 62 cases of severe encephalitis and 7 deaths in New York State. As of the end of 2002, there have been 4,161 laboratory-positive human cases of West Nile Virus reported and confirmed throughout the U.S., including 277 fatalities. Due to the concern for public health, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and affected states developed and implemented surveillance and response plans. As a result, targeted pesticide applications were performed to control adult mosquitoes that transmit the virus.
How to Control West Nile Virus
- Identify mosquito breeding sites and eliminate standing water. Empty water, fill-in low lying areas, unclog drainage ditches and gutters. Be sure to check:
- Plant containers
- Low spots in the landscape
- Retention ponds
- Common neighborhood grounds
- Toys or playground equipment
- Clogged or wrongly pitched gutters
- Birdbaths or decorative ponds
- Drainage ditches
- Areas prone to flood waters
- Discarded tires or tire swings
- Any areas or objects that may collect or hold water
- For areas or items that cannot be drained of water, treat standing water with larvicides. Use Methoprene or Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI) to retard mosquito larval development.
- Use adulticides that can be sprayed or fogged to kill adult mosquitoes.
- Apply insect repellant sprays and lotions to exposed skin.
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