Back to the West Nile Virus listserv archive.
A MAD'S WNV Risk Considerations
Date:
Mon, 28 Oct 2002
Posted by:
SzyskaM@aol.com
How would you assess the WNV risk in this hypothetical situation?
Gravid traps are set nightly to collect mosquitoes.
The VecTest was used to test for WNV using 50 mosquitoes/pool.
WNV positive birds were reported in May and steadily increased throughout the state there after.
WNV positive mosquito pools are reported over a multi-county area and then the state. A multitude of gravid trap samples test positive with the VecTest at varying intensity (although the VecTest is only a qualitative test the color intensity of the positive band does indicate relative viral titers) indicating either one WNV positive mosquito per pool with varying viral titers (super infective?) or perhaps multiple infected mosquitoes from the same test pool.
A multitude of infected horses and other mammals are reported throughout the state.
Sporadic human cases appear.
You get consecutive nightly WNV positive mosquito pools in ONE gravid trap (most traps do not show consecutive positive pools). During one of those consecutive evening collections you collect enough Culex to VecTest 3 mosquito pools from the same gravid trap and two of them are WNV positive.
The human cases continue to increase quickly in a major metropolitan area and sporadically throughout the state.
MY QUESTION IS: How do you appropriately and simultaneously describe this risk to:
The state?
At the county level?
At the city level?
The neighborhood around your consecutively WNV positive gravid trap?
The resident providing space for your consecutively WNV positive gravid trap
in their backyard?
-- Michael Szyska, Director Northwest Mosquito Abatement District 147 W. Hintz Rd. Wheeling, IL. 60090 847-537-2306 ext 22 847-537-2583 (fax)-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WESTNILEVIRUS-L is an email discussion group for communication and discussion about West Nile Virus, particularly regarding policy, risk reduction and public education issues. It is moderated by Dr. Lois Levitan at Cornell University's Center for the Environment. To subscribe (or unsubscribe), send an email request to envrisk@cornell.edu. Subscribers are encouraged to post to the group by sending an email to: WESTNILEVIRUS-L@cornell.edu. Please send only unformatted text, without attachments. Archives are posted at: http://www.cfe.cornell.edu/erap/WNV/WNV-LArchiveIndex.cfm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------