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- First, let me put West Nile virus into prespective.
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- In areas of the world, where it is endemic, like Israel,
most of the population have developed lifelong immunity to the virus. It
is, in reality, a relatively mild virus, only a risk for people like myself
who are immune surpressed, and those who are elderly.
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- There are far more virulent emerging diseases around.
We just saw Tularaemia break out in Martha's Vinyard. Tularaemia, when
contracted via the aerosolized route, can cause severe pulmonary problems,
called tularaemia pneumonia. One can have symptoms on a Friday and expire
on Saturday morning, as was the case with a patient in Martha's Vinyard.
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- So, now we have the cream of the biowar crop, getting
involved in WNV.
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- I have said repeatedly that infected Aedes Japonicus
were released at various locations around the area. I suspect that they
were "clean" bugs, or bred for infecting...and came from a Ft.
Detrick supply.
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- If you think about the need for a vaccine for west Nile,
we do not need one. The military knew what they were doing back in 1995
when they said West Nile would not be a problem for troops in the Middle
East.
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- As I mentioned, endemic populations acquire lifelong
immunity. Similiar to measles, mumps, chickenpox, et al. That immunity
is acquired after having the virus. _____
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- US Army To Research West Nile And Its Vectors
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- By Patricia Doyle <labgal_5@yahoo.com 9-3-00
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- Biowar research lab scientists investigate West Nile
virus. Last year, at the same time as the West Nile outbreak in New York
and surrounding States, a surprising discovery was made: the Aedes Japonicus,
a mosquito indigenous to parts of Asia, turned up in the heart of West
Nile "ground zero." Yet, another coincidence? As Dr. Wayne
Crans an entomologist from Rutgers University who is also joining the West
Nile vector investigation said, "The chance of a new mosquito and
a new virus showing up in the same geographical location, is NO chance."
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- USAMRIID, (United States Army Research Institute of Infectious
Diseases) as well as Rutgers and Fordham Universities are joining in the
West Nile vector investigation.
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- Michael Turell, a civilian entomologist, and his six-person
team at the USAMRIID will be searching for answers in controlling the West
Nile outbreak and preventing futher spreading of the virus. However, according
to some of the leading scientists involved in the West Nile outbreak, risk
management is the last door of opportunity left open. Eradication was
tried but failed. The next step taken was containment, which also failed.
Now, the only hope is controlling risk.
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- USAMRIID scientists will be focusing on all species of
mosquito that spread the west nile virus, however, they will be focusing
their attention of the mysterious Aedes Japonicus. There are many unanswered
questions about the Japonicus, according to CDC, such as: where does it
breed?, when does it feed?, and what does it bite?
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- Of course, I have not heard anyone try to ascertain,
"HOW DID IT GET HERE?" and "WAS IT INFECTED WITH WEST
NILE WHEN IT EMERGED?"
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- "There is no question that it is going to be a major
player," Turell said, "but is its role going to be 10th most
important mosquito or 2nd most important mosquito? That we just don't know."
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- Thus far, the experts conclude that the Japonicus may
be the vector that is capable of spreading the virus far from the present
area of infection. According to CDC's Dr. Stephen Ostroff, "it is
quite possible for the virus to spread along the Atlantic coast as far
south as the Gulf of Mexico due to migratory birds."
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- Now, with the latest news that bats are infected with
West Nile, it will be possible for westward bat migration to carry the
virus with it.
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- Ostroff also said that the agency did request the Army
to get involved shortly after the virus appeared in the Western Hemisphere
for the first time.
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- Ft. Detrick's expertise in battling diseases like Ebola
and other exotic diseases, as well as its biowar research, were reasons
why it was requested to study the virus and vectors.
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- "The role that they are playing is a very important
one," Ostroff said. "The more the CDC knows about the mosquitoes
that transmit the virus, the better it can advise the public on how to
reduce their risk of infection," he said.
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- Reasearchers are intrigued by the fact that the Japonicus
and the West Nile virus are sharing the same US territory at the same time.
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- In the past two years, they have found infected mosquitos
for the first time in most of these seven States: Connecticut, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Infected
birds have also turned up in these States. Coincidence?
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- According to Dr. Ostroff of the CDC, "That's a pretty
rapid spread for a mosquito in only two breeding seasons. If it continues
to move at the pace it appears to have been moving, the potential to carry
the virus farther afield is a cause for concern."
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- What information about the Aedes Japonicus will the Army
find? Right now they are working on simple questions of where it breeds,
who it bites and when.
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- In areas where West Nile is endemic, the Aedes Japonicus
is not found. It is found in Asia where West Nile is rare.
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- We have no answers yet, as to how the Aedes Japonicus
will impact the spread of West Nile.
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- Perhaps the biggest question of all is "How did
it get here?"
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