- Star-Bulletin Homepage
- By Mary Vorsino
-
- A wild sparrow found at Kahului Airport has tested positive
for West Nile virus in preliminary results, state Health Department officials
said. Samples are being sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
for more testing. State and county officials say they will spray the airport
and surrounding area for mosquitoes, which spread the virus to humans,
birds and other animals. "We need to respond quickly and forcefully
to control this potential public health threat to the state," said
state epidemiologist Paul Effler.
-
- Most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito will
show no symptoms, the Health Department said. But some can exhibit flu-like
symptoms, which typically last a few days. And in rare cases, the virus
has been fatal. Before the finding [of the sparrow], Hawaii had been free
of the virus. Residents statewide are being asked to eliminate standing
water to decrease the risk of mosquitoes breeding. Also, if residents find
a dead bird they are asked to notify Health Department authorities. A list
of collection sites is available at http://www.hawaii.gov/health.
-
- Article sent by David Duffy Hawaii-Pacific Island Cooperative
Ecosystem Studies Unit Department of Botany University of Hawaii Manoa
dduffy@hawaii.edu
-
- [Up to the present Hawaii and Alaska are the only regions
of the United States to have remained free of West Nile virus infection.
David Duffy has added the following comment. "This was apparently
an ELISA test. The Department of Health (DOH) is to be commended for getting
this information out early. The bird was at the Maui airport, but most
people have been expecting the first positive to be on Oahu at the Honolulu
airport. There are plans for an aggressive effort for widespread aerial
spraying, but these were again focused on Oahu. The ground-based effort
will fall on the HI-DOH vector control folks. If it fails, Hawaii's endemic
bird fauna, already suffering from avian malaria and avian poxvirus, will
face the onslaught of West Nile virus." - Mod.CP]
-
-
- Date: Mon 27 Sep 2004
- From: Peter Daszak <daszak@conservationmedicine.org>
-
-
- A comment on the suspected introduction of West Nile
virus into Hawaii
- -----------------------------------------------
- In January 2004, a 2-day workshop was held in Honolulu,
Hawaii to assess the potential for the introduction of West Nile virus
to the islands and its prevention. See: <http://www.environment-hawaii.org/204experts.htm>
-
- At this meeting, we presented results of a risk assessment
of the pathways by which the virus might be introduced. The paper was published
in Springer's new peer-reviewed journal, Ecohealth, in June 2004 (Kilpatrick,
A.M., Glutzberg, Y., Burgett, J. & Daszak, P. 2004. Quantitative risk
assessment of the pathways by which West Nile virus could reach Hawaii.
Ecohealth 1: 205-209; available as down-loadable pdf file from <http://www.conservationmedicine.org/publicat.htm>.
-
- This analysis clearly showed that the most significant
potential route of entry is via infected mosquitoes traveling on airplanes
from the US mainland. If confirmed, the report in ProMED-mail [West Nile
virus, avian - USA (HI): susp 20040925.2648] of suspected West Nile virus
in a wild sparrow at Kahului Airport, Hawaii suggests that the analysis
was accurate and timely. In the paper, and at the 2-day meeting, we proposed
that residual disinsection (the use of insecticides that leave a residue
on surfaces) should be mandated for the holds of all planes from regions
where West Nile virus has been confirmed, including most of the USA. If
the suspected finding of West Nile virus in Hawaii is not confirmed, or,
if the outbreak is successfully controlled, we strongly suggest that these
measures are put into place with high priority to prevent the public health
impact of West Nile virus in Hawaii, and, the potential loss of already
threatened endemic Hawaiian avian species.
-
- --
- Dr. Peter Daszak
- Executive Director,
- Consortium for Conservation Medicine,
- Wildlife Trust,
- 61 Route 9W, Palisades,
- New York 10964-8000, USA
- <daszak@conservationmedicine.org>
-
-
-
- Patricia A. Doyle, PhD
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at: http://www.clickitnews.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?
Cat=&Board=emergingdiseases
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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