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Friday, September 21, 2012

West Nile virus detected in metro-Atlanta mosquitoes and birds

A total of 3,142 human cases of West Nile virus in the United States, including 134 deaths, have been reported to the CDC so far this year.

Emory students trap mosquitoes for testing.
Cooler weather may reduce the spread of the mosquito-borne virus, but we’re not out of the woods yet. Students from Emory’s Department of Environmental Studies West Nile virus lab are finding a high number of mosquitoes infected with the virus in metro Atlanta parks.

Some birds infected with the virus have also been found in the lab's research sites, including Tanyard Creek Park and Grant Park, says Uriel Kitron, a disease ecologist and chair of the Department of Environmental Studies.

The mosquito that transmits West Nile virus is an evening mosquito, coming out an hour before sunset and staying active through the night, Kitron told Channel 2 Action News. Click here to read more at Channel 2 news web site about the Emory research, and how you can protect yourself from West Nile virus.

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1 comment:

  1. west nile virus suffererOctober 14, 2012 at 9:23 AM

    Thanks for this blog. I've recently learned that virtually all pandemic virus incidents stem from (contamination by exposure to) migratory bird fowl , even though most of these viruses are not known as "bird flu". Further, there is apparently no clear way to predict future outbreaks of WNV owing to findings that random factors such as weather are key determinants. All quite scary stuff.

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