W NILE VIRUS - Probably in Texas

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Dangerous West Nile virus has likely crossed into Texas, disease experts say

Associated Press Sunday, November 11, 2001

SAN ANTONIO -- After the discovery in October of a Louisiana man with the state's first human case of West Nile virus, officials say the virus has probably crossed into Texas.

"The virus is circulating in Louisiana," said Dennis Perrotta, Texas state epidemiologist. "There's no reason to believe it isn't circulating in Texas."

Perrotta, who following the Sept. 11 attacks has a 90-day assignment from the Texas Department of Health to focus on bioterrorism rather than his usual job of tracking infectious diseases, said: "I haven't thought of West Nile virus in a month, but other people have.

"The day-to-day, pressing health needs and health threats that we face even without the word `bioterrorism' are not going away because of bioterrorism," Perrotta told the San Antonio Express-News. "We continue to work on those."

The West Nile virus, closely related to both the St. Louis encephalitis and dengue viruses, has killed 10 people in the United States since it surfaced in New York two years ago. In severe cases, it attacks the nervous system and swells the brain.

West Nile is spread by mosquitoes, which contract it by feeding on infected birds and spread it by biting humans or other animals.

State health officials do not yet know which Texas cities, towns and counties are capable of tracking virulent mosquitoes and birds and eradicating them if necessary.

By January, the department hopes to complete an inventory of how many cities and counties have mosquito-control programs.

In July, the state expanded its monitoring of wild birds and mosquitoes to include Chambers, Galveston, Brazoria, Nueces, Kleberg, Kenedy, Cameron and Hidalgo counties. Testing for West Nile virus was also added to established programs in Brazos, Dallas, El Paso, Jefferson, Orange, Lubbock and Wichita counties.

Texas may be at risk of an outbreak of West Nile virus because of years of neglect reflected in poor local understanding and a lack of funding, said Jim Olson, professor of entomology at Texas A&M University.

For 50 years, state law has permitted counties to establish mosquito-control districts and fund them from local property taxes. Thirteen county-based districts exist, including a model program in Harris County, but four of the districts are not funded, according to the Texas Mosquito Control Association Web site.`

Julie Rawlings, a state epidemiologist, said the state stands ready to step up active tracking of disease by placing eight additional epidemiologists, nurses and public health technicians around Texas. The department's request, endorsed by Gov. Rick Perry, could be implemented by early February, Rawlings said.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2001

Answers

A couple of weeks ago, there was a report on the local news that WNV had been confirmed in Ft. Smith Arkansas. That city/town is on the boarder with Oklahoma, thus I can see it being in both Oklahoma and Texas now, especially the eastern parts of Texas.

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2001

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