Louisiana Declares W. Nile Emergency, 58 infected

Washington post ^

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37216-2002Aug2.html

[JediGirl]

Is anyone suspecting that this problem may have been a deliberate bio-agent attack ?

hm....I don't know. But I'm glad I got out of Louisiana at any rate :P

[blam]

"Eight people in Texas and 22 in Mississippi are sick with West Nile encephalitis."

Want to buy a house, cheap?

[BureaucratusMaximus]

Anyone got any info on the how the West Nile "works" and/or what you can do (other than not getting bit by mosquitos) to protect yourself?

[realpatriot71]

Did west nile virus get here because we stupidly imported people or animals from Africa who had this virus?

There's a slight chance an infected bird caught a ride from Africa to the US, but the most likely explanation is that a, infected mosquito laid egg on a ship in northern africa, and those eggs made the trip to the US, whence they got wet and hatched somewhere along the way.

[realpatriot71]

Is anyone suspecting that this problem may have been a deliberate bio-agent attack ?

No

[realpatriot71]

Anyone got any info on the how the West Nile "works" and/or what you can do (other than not getting bit by mosquitos) to protect yourself?

Bones had some interesting links. Still have them bones?

Here's some stuff from the CDC

[WFTR]

A blue jay is a bird of prey? What do they prey on? What about hummingbirds? I have lots of those and eastern blue birds.

Hummingbirds are not birds of prey at all. They are just flower suckers and nothing more. I really don't know what blue birds eat. I think they are seed eaters. Blue Jays will eat many things. I've seen them eating small lizards. I bet they'd grab a frog as well. I don't know whether they would go after any little mammals. Shrikes will go after mice, lizards, and about anything else. Shrikes are known for attacking some animals that are actually bigger than they are.

WFTR
Bill

[Blake#1]

How can we get rid of this virus? Let's ask the Center for Disease Control to treat this study the same way they treat the fight against AIDS. If so, we are all "goners".

[bonesmccoy]

That's pretty much the main link with the easiest info to review.

[rmlew]

It could have been stow-away mosquitos. It could also be that we have immigrants who came to this country with the Virus adn were bitten by the mosquitos.
According to media reports in NYC, the mosquitos are the same types normally found in the US.

[backhoe]

Malaria is nasty stuff- an old friend of mine caught it in the 1960's in 'Nam, and far as I know, he still has it- it never goes away, just lies quiescent for a while.

Actually, the subject of "dread diseases" is one that people largely don't think about anymore due to modern sanitation and medicine, but it wouldn't take much of a breakdown to see the return of horrors like typhoid fever.

[aomagrat]

Notice the virus hasn't been reported in South Carolina. It must be observing the NAACP boycott.

[stainlessbanner]

LOL! I wish a naacp boycott is all that would take to get rid of WNV. The next community over down here in FL just found 2 birds with the virus. I'm gettin' a little concerned out here in the country. I wore my wranglers and longsleeve shirt tonight and it was hot Florida evening tonight.