West Nile kills 5th victim in Colorado

Associated Press ^ | 08-11-03

[Brian S]

DENVER - A 67-year-old woman has died of the West Nile virus in Colorado, bringing to five the number of fatalities in the state hardest hit by the bug this year.

Colorado, which had a dozen human cases last year, leads the nation with 166 so far this year, according to state officials.

[beaversmom]

A wet June? I must have been sleeping during the monsoon. It's been very hot and dry here. We need rain.

[eyespysomething]

Don't leave indoors without it. BTW - my kids hate to see me follow them outdoors. They know what's coming. ** spray spray ** Of course, letting them get eaten up by the skeeters for about 10 minutes, and they beg for the stuff!!

[TBall]

Don't forget to make sure that Granny gets a good spraying. It's the older folks who are at the greatest risk.

[trebb]

Others have said the weather doesn't entirely explain the numbers

Banning DDT is the main reason...

[frossca]

Banning DDT is the main reason...

Yup. Five more notches on the leagacy of the woman responsible for more untimely deaths than any person in history...Rachel Carlson.

[scab4faa]

Here in Loveland, co we pay .50 each month to a mosquitto control tax. I still see them all over the place when the sun goes down and have never seen a truck or any kind of control equipment spraying..

[mushroom]

I've always found it ironic that the DDT ban was supposed to save birds from extinction. Now that West Nile is being spread by the mosquitos that aren't being killed by DDT, its the birds that die off first.

[xrp]

OH NO! THIS IS A CRISIS!

How many people in Colorado have died from heart disease so far this year? Car accidents? Suicides? Diabetes?

[Brian S]

This article bothered you, huh? Good. I strive to "bother"! :)

[holdmuhbeer]

Meanwhile how many people died from pneumonia or influenza?

[Brian S]

I don't know, why don't you research it for us since you are concerned and then report back. I just hope none of those cases are "SARS" related, however... ;)

[holdmuhbeer]

I was trying to make a point that West Nile virus is being blown out of proportion.

[Colorado Doug]

I was trying to make a point that West Nile virus is being blown out of proportion.

I'm not so very sure that it is being blown out of proportion. I have one horse with it now and my vet bills are already nearing $1000. It hits fast and hard, killing most horses the first day of symptoms. I also know a number of people that have West Nile symptoms, some have been pretty sick and it's really not even peak mosquito season yet. My mother is 94 and if she gets bit then she will most likely die. Not to slam your post but I would say that it's bad enough. I guess it depends on your perspective. If you are young, healthy and don't have animals or anyone at risk in your family, it's no big deal. On the other hand, the economic costs and risks to the elderly can be huge. On the other hand, if you do have someone at risk and see a dead magpie nearby, I can assure you that you will not sleep very well.

[bluejean]

Agreed. I live in Colorado Springs and am concerned about my elderly neighbors and my Mom as well. Colorado is a great place to live. It's so weird now having to spray for disease-carrying bugs before going outside to putz around or walk the dog. This is something we haven't had to contend with in the many years we've been here. We SHOULD be concerned about the influx of new diseases in our country.

Comparisons can always be made with other types of deaths (yeah but, how many people died in car accidents? how many people died eating blowfish? yada yada), but so what?

Encephalitis and meningitis (result of being bitten by these little monsters) may be 'random' and the deaths may be 'minimal' but the fact that this is a new and growing threat in our daily lives IS cause for concern.

And heck, this isn't OUR disease - native to the States. It's come from other places along with all kinds of other crap we have to deal with from those places, and who knows what's next? Last year we had 6 human cases. This year, 165 so far, and 5 deaths. Next year - what - 600 cases? 20 deaths? It's not going away, and it will be worse each year. It ain't nothing to make light of.