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Date: June 9, 2003
Posted by: Environmental Risk Analysis Program (envrisk@cornell.edu)
Dominick Ninivaggi (Dominick.Ninivaggi@co.suffolk.ny.us)
Linn Haramis (LHARAMIS@idph.state.il.us)
ProMed-mail

[1] Comment from Dominick Ninivaggi
[2] Illinois
[3] Georgia
[4] Louisiana
[5] Quebec and Ontario, Canada


[1]
From: "Ninivaggi, Dominick" <Dominick.Ninivaggi@co.suffolk.ny.us>
Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003

First detections and first clinical cases for various areas are of interest,
and I appreciate hearing about them.  I certainly hope we're not getting WNV
transmission to humans (regardless of age) this early, but if this pans out,
it's good to know about.

[2]
ILLINOIS
Date: Thu, 29 May 2003
From: "LINN HARAMIS" <LHARAMIS@idph.state.il.us>

HENDERSON COUNTY [ILLINOIS] BIRD POSITIVE FOR WEST NILE VIRUS
SPRINGFIELD, IL - A dead crow found May 21 in Oquawka in Henderson 
County has been confirmed as the first bird to test positive in 
Illinois this year for West Nile virus (WNV), Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, 
state public health director, today announced. 
http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/press03/wnv_5_28_03.htm


[3]
GEORGIA
Date: Fri 2 May 2003
Source: Savannah Morning News, Fri 2 May 2003, via ProMED-mail [edited]

A Wood Thrush found Apr 23 in mid-town Savannah tested WNV-positive. 
In 2002, 7 people from Georgia died from WNV.


[4]
LOUISIANA

Date: Thu 8 May 2003
Source: Baton Rouge Advocate, Apr 30, 2003 via ProMED-mail [edited]

By early May 2003, WNV was already detected in 24 of 64 Parishes in 
Louisiana: 33 dead birds of the 541 dead birds tested by the 
Louisiana Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab at LSU tested 
WNV-positive. State residents had reported 3091 dead birds to parish 
health units as of that time.

In the summer of 2002, 329 people were hospitalized and 24 died from 
WNV in Louisiana.  In 2002, health officials "started to see dead 
blue jays in an area 3 weeks to a month before we started seeing 
human activity."  Their question now is whether this will "hold true 
this year."  No human cases have been reported in 2003, but blue jays 
are again becoming more prevalent in the data of WNV-positive birds: 
State statistics show that prior to Apr 11, 2003, 2 of the 24 birds 
that tested positive were bluejays. After that date, bluejays 
accounted for 3 of the 8 birds testing positive.

East Baton Rouge Parish Mosquito Control and Rodent Abatement 
District Director Matt Yates said while 8 mosquito pools have tested 
positive for WNV, there had been no positives in the previous 3 
weeks, leading him to think that "maybe our control activities are 
having a positive effect."

[5]
QUEBEC & ONTARIO, CANADA
Reports of dead crows in Ontario (2) and Quebec (2)

Date: Sun 8 Jun 2003
Source: Canada.com, The Gazette, Sat 7 Jun 2003 via ProMED-mail [edited]

The first confirmed case in Quebec this year was a dead crow located 
in Huntingdon, southwest of Montreal, at the end of May 2003. Another 
infected North American crow was found dead in the borough of Roxboro 
[Quebec] this week.  There were 16 human casesof WNV across the 
province last year, 2 of which resulted in deaths.
Several dead crows have been reported from Ontario.

-- 
Lois Levitan, PhD       Program Leader
Environmental Risk Analysis Program
Department of Communication and
Center for the Environment
213 Rice Hall, Cornell University
Ithaca, New York USA 14853-5601

Phone:   (607) 255-4765     Fax: (607) 255-0238
Email:	LCL3@cornell.edu
Web:       http://environmentalrisk.cornell.edu

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