The west nile virus
A West Nile (WN) virus was first isolated in 1937 from the peripheral blood of a woman in the West Nile province of Uganda in Central Africa. Since then, WN viruses have been reported from North Africa (Egypt, Israel), East, Central, and South Africa, Asia (India, Pakistan), Borneo, Europe (Cyprus, France, Romania) and, most recently, the northeastern USA. Tests for antibody to WN suggest it has also been present in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Turkey, and Albania.West Nile viruses are members of the virus family Flaviviridae and are closely related to Japanese encephalitis viruses from the Old World and St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) viruses from the New World. In addition, WN cross-reacts in a variety of serological tests, including the plaque reduction neutralization test, with Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE), Usutu, Kunjin, Kokobera, Stratford, and Alfuy viruses. It was this cross reactivity of the New York City (NYC) WN with SLE serologic reagents that initially confused this virus with SLE. Additional tests that used direct examination of the gene sequence of the NYC virus identified it as a WN-like virus, not SLE.West Nile is represented by at least 2 distinc
Most recently, WN virus(es) was apparently introduced into the northeastern region of the borough of Queens in NYC during the summer of 1999. The incubation period for WN is 3-6 days. WHAT CAN BE DONE? An important question concerning WN movement and transmission throughout North America is: ¨What can be done to monitor the movement and introduction of WN in new cities and localities throughout North America?¨ The answer is simple: surveillance, surveillance, surveillance, and more surveillance. A domestic pigeon infected with WN and showing clinical signs of illness was captured in Egypt. vishnui complex are the primary vectors in India and Pakistan. For example, under normal conditions the CPT for a 5% formulation of DEET (diethyl toluamide, presently the most effective insect repellent) is approximately 2 hours. Illegally imported birds are not quarantined and may have been a source of virus capable of infecting local mosquitoes. The CPT is the total time following repellent application that the treated individual will remain bite free. The disease can be severe in the elderly, but is usually mild in healthy adults and children. The objectives of this surveillance system are: · To monitor the potential geographic and temporal spread of WN virus over the eastern and southern U. A second important question is: ¨What can be done to minimize the impact of WN, or other vector borne pathogens, when they do become established in a region. THE FUTURE OF WEST NILE VIRUS IN NORTH AMERICA. For example, strategies that might be effective against WN in NYC include: the source reduction of mosquito breeding sites; focal applications of insecticides directed against adult and immature mosquitoes; public service announcements to educated residents about the vector, the disease, and disease avoidance; tips to help prevent home-invasion by infected vectors; and information about the most effective means of personal protection. In severe cases, there are often symptoms of encephalitis with eventual neurological involvement and sometimes death. It is only through vigilant surveillance that epidemics can be recognized before local, state, and federal health officials are blind-sided by the unexpected appearance of large numbers of infected humans in places like NYC.
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