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- Hello Jeff,
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- More bad news from the Eastern Seaboard.
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- If the West Nile came here in old tires from Russia or
Passenger 0, or the best one yet, migratory birds that flew off their path.
(If a migratory bird flew that far from Russia sick with West Nile, across
the Pacific or Atlanta-that's pretty good), then why would it be a different
and more virulent strain.
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- If you want my honest opinion, I believe that It was
released for profit of OraVax co. and also as a bioterrorism preparedness
event. On both accounts we have news of grant money.
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- 1. OraVax just received the 3 million dollar grant from
the NIH.
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- 2. Bioterrorism...63 million dollars is going into that
kitty.
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- a. to assess our readieness and b. to labs. i.e. another
name for biological war research.
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- Sure they claim for 'defense' ...but we know that the
line between defense and offense is sometimes hard to define. I would not
be surprised to find that Dr. Jerry Hauer's bioterrorism preparedness corporation
gets some of the 36 mill.
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- I honestly think that when the virus was released, they
believed they would be able to contain it with massive spraying. Murphy's
law took over and the genie, or West Nile got out of the bottle.
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- Next, the Chimerivax JE. We know that OraVax was planning
to use it for West Nile, we also know that the oravaxJE was going to be
field tested Phase 1 Fall of 1999. The next phase was summer 200. My best
guess is it did not work as planned and now they are going to try the Yellow
Fever vaccine as a chimerivax for west Nile. Ergo the need for 3 million
dollars.
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- As for birds, the question still stands: what are the
other birds dying of? I can understand birds in areas where pesticide spraying
is ongoing. But, what of birds in areas that are not being sprayed?
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- Prior to spraying Mass. turned over 200 birds. We know
that 2 were positive. That leaves 198 birds. Given that birds do die, we
need to calculate the normal death rate in that same time period prior
to West Nile and then see what the number is of dead nonWest Nile positive
birds. Then we will need some answers.
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- 9 New York Counties were added in just 2 days. At that
rate, neighboring states like Ohio, Pa. and across the border to Canada,
a crows flight away, will have the virus. Vermont has not done virus surveilance,
so we have no way to know if any birds are West Nile positive. They are
having their own problem with the Sheep mad cow disease.
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- Thank you Jeff for all you have done to help with this
work.
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- God Bless you.
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- Patricia _____
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- West Nile Virus May Be New Deadly Strain, USGS Tells
Congress
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- http://www.usgs.gov/public/press/public_affairs/press_releases/pr1128m.html
8-7-00
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- News Release U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological
Survey
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- West Nile Virus May Be New Deadly Strain, USGS Tells
Congress Recent crow die-offs suggest the West Nile virus which emerged
in New York in late August could be more deadly to North American bird
species than to species in Africa, the Middle East and Europe, where the
virus is normally found, a USGS scientist reported today at a congressional
field hearing held in Connecticut by the Senate Committee on Environment
and Public Works.
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- Dr. Robert G. McLean, director of the USGS National Wildlife
Health Center in Madison, Wis., briefed the committee on the role of native
bird populations and other wildlife in the emergence of West Nile virus
in the United States. Detection of the virus in birds and other animal
species provides critical information to public health agencies tracking
the infection in people.
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- "The high mortality in crows and other bird species
is unusual for these viruses," McLean said. "This suggests that
this virus is more virulent to our native birds or it may represent a new,
more virulent strain of the virus."
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- Resident and migratory birds may play an important role
in natural transmission of the virus and in maintaining the virus in the
United States, McLean testified. "Migratory birds could also spread
the virus to other states outside of the New York City area," he said.
"Enhanced monitoring through surveillance for early, rapid detection
of West Nile virus in states outside the affected area will be important
to guide prevention measures."
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- The emergence of West Nile virus in the United States,
which led to the deaths of seven people from West Nile encephalitis, has
brought together the combined expertise and resources of many federal and
state agencies along the eastern seaboard. Several federal and state agencies
and private groups are searching for stored human and animal specimens
that were collected prior to 1999 in order to test them for the presence
of West Nile virus. These specimens are also being tested for antibodies
to determine if the virus was present in the United States before the 1999
outbreak. Results from these investigations should provide more insight
into how, where and when the virus was introduced, McLean noted.
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- McLean, who received his Ph.D. at Penn State University
in 1966, and has 30 years of experience with wildlife diseases, also discussed
the activities and efforts of the USGS in investigating the wildlife aspects
of this virus. "As of early November, 392 birds have been tested by
USGS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and 192 were
positive for West Nile virus," McLean said. "The virus has infected
at least 20 species of birds, including exotic and native birds at zoos,
and about four species of mosquitoes. But, it is difficult to assess how
many birds have died from this disease."
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- USGS, CDC, U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies
have heightened wildlife surveillance for detection of West Nile virus,
and they have expanded monitoring to other Atlantic and Gulf Coast states.
McLean assured the committee, "We are continuing to collaborate on
enhanced surveillance and to determine what specific surveillance methods
will work best for each region."
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- McLean believes that native bird populations will play
a key role in the investigation of the long-term impacts of the West Nile
virus in the United States. He added, "Additional research is needed
in order to determine if wildlife, mosquito or both populations in the
affected areas can maintain the virus in New York and other states and
serve as an over wintering source for resurgence next summer."
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- For more information on West Nile virus, see the following
webpages:
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- USGS Home Page on West Nile Virus http://www.usgs.gov/west_nile_virus.html
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- USGS Fact Sheet on West Nile Virus http://www.usgs.gov/wnvfactsheet.html
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- USGS National Wildlife Health Center and related web
pages http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/nwhchome.html -- U.S. Geological Survey,
MS119 National Center, Reston, VA 20192, USA
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- MainPage
http://www.rense.com
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