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Date: July 15, 2003
Posted by: Environmental Risk Analysis Program <envrisk@cornell.edu>

WestNileVirus-L was alerted to this July 14, 2003 Reuters Health 
story by a July 15 posting on ProMED-mail http://www.promedmail.org 
(Id #20030715.1741).  Full text:

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico on Monday declared a state of 
emergency against the mosquito-borne West Nile virus, declaring it a 
severe risk to its horse population and a growing threat to people.

The West Nile virus was discovered in Mexico on May 16 in a dead crow 
in Tabasco state, prompting the government to launch a campaign to 
vaccinate the state's equine population.

But Mexico's animal health authority said in the government's 
official gazette on Monday that the disease has since spread to 
horses in the states of Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Veracruz, 
Tabasco, Quintana Roo and Yucatan.

The United States has been fighting the virus for five years. The 
virus infected more than 4000 people in 44 U.S. states and killed 284 
people last year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.

No human deaths from West Nile have been reported in Mexico, which 
shares a 2,000-mile border with the United States.

On Monday, the government warned that Mexico provides an ideal 
breeding ground for the disease because it is home to a large number 
of wild birds.

Mosquitoes that bite infected birds and then bite people transmit 
West Nile, which can cause fatal inflammation of the brain in humans.

"The natural cycle of the disease occurs between wild birds and 
mosquitoes (that feed on birds). However, as the number of birds 
rises, other types of mosquitoes can become infected and can be 
responsible for eventual transmission to humans or horses," the 
official gazette said.

Among actions to combat West Nile, Mexican sanitary authorities have 
asked horse owners to vaccinate their animals and to report any 
suspected cases of West Nile immediately.

The US Agriculture Department has reported that about one-third of 
the 15,000 horses infected with the virus in 2002 died.

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