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West Nile Virus
In the summer of 1999, an unusual thing occurred: West Nile Encephalitis came to New York City. This was unusual because the disease had previously been present in the Middle East and Africa, and sporadically present in Europe, but unknown in North America. Its sudden appearance in America sparked speculation that West Nile Virus was brought to America by terrorists as a form of biological warfare.
In spite of the speculation, there is actually no proof of how the West Nile Virus came to the United States. What is known about the West Nile Virus in the United States is that it developed from the same strand of the virus that infected people in Tel Aviv, Israel. However, despite being able to determine that the Israeli and American strains of the West Nile Virus developed from the same strain, scientists have been unable to determine which strain developed first. The fact that the Israeli and American strains of West Nile Virus have a similar origin does nothing to squelch the idea of biological warfare; Israel and America are both popular targets for the same terrorist organizations, therefore it would not be uncommon for both locations...
Because the West Nile Virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, it appears counter-intuitive that it would make its first appearance in America in New York, rather than in one of the more humid, semi-tropical states. However, anyone who has spent a summer in the New York City region quickly becomes aware that mosquitoes are a tremendous problem during the summer in lower New York and New Jersey.
In addiction, the fact that similar strains of the West Nile Virus appeared in both Israel and America, and that West Nile is not enough to establish that American West Nile Virus was introduced by terrorists. In fact, that West Nile Virus first appeared in New York City has a harmless explanation as well. New York City continues to be a gateway for travelers coming into or leaving the United States. Israel is a popular destination from New York City; flights leave the three major New York City airports daily for Tel Aviv.…
Referenced
"Background: Virus History and Distribution." West Nile Virus. 2004. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. 24 Apr. 2005
<http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/background.htm>.
Giladi, Michael, Einat Metzkor-Cotter, Denise A. Martin, Yardena Siegman-Igra, Amos D.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no4/giladi.htm.
West Nile Virus In recent years, every summer, the threat of West Nile (WN) virus has become the scourge of the temperate regions of Europe and North America. (Abramovitz, 2004) The virus presents a threat to the human and animal population -- especially the bird population. Symptoms of WN viral infection range from mild fevers and aches, to encephalitis (inflammation of the spinal cord and brain). The latter can be fatal.
West Nile virus was first detected in the Western Hemisphere in 1999 and during the last few years has spread cross the North American continent into all forty-eight continental states, seven Canadian provinces, throughout Mexico (West). Moreover, the virus has been detected in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, and El Salvador (West). According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 15,000 people in
West Nile Virus is form of encephalitis only found in the United States within the last three years. It is spread by mosquitoes. The mosquito bites an infected animal, often a bird, and then bites a human being, infecting that person with the virus. The first case of West Nile Virus was reported in New York City in 1999, but by the end of last summer had reached virtually all
" (Science Daily, 2008) it is related that these testing and diagnosis of West Nile in horses assist in the identification of where the disease is spreading and helps in the decision concerning whether to vaccinate horses in an area. Dr. Magnarelli states that the information used in this testing " is useful in confirming the epidemiology of the virus, determining when it arrived in certain areas and how it
Worldwide, the distribution pattern of WNV is mainly found in the northern, eastern and southern regions of Africa, parts of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia. On a global scale, mortality rate of diseases caused by WNV human infection could range from 2.4% to as high as 47% (Bourne, 2011). In the United States, CDC reports its latest (2011) data showing that there have been a total of 432
diseases West Nile virus, malaria, plague, and yellow fever. Specifically, it will discuss the history and distribution of the diseases in the United States or worldwide, and compare each of the diseases based on the categories above, as to which is most important individually and overall in terms of relative impact. West Nile virus only appeared in the United States in 1999, but it has become quite a feared disease