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June 21, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"West Nile Virus Believed to Be Countywide"

Houston Chronicle (www.chron.com) (06/20/02) P. A25; Hopper, Leigh

The West Nile virus, which causes brain inflammation and is passed from birds to mosquitoes to humans, has probably been in Texas for a while, just not in such significant numbers and not in the areas that the health department was testing, explains Texas Department of Health's Jim Schuermann in response to two dead blue jays and other birds in Houston that were found to have the disease.  About 1 percent of people who are bitten by mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus become infected, and the symptoms include fever, body aches, stiff neck, disorientation, convulsions, and sometimes death.  With no specific treatment for the disease, researchers are working on developing an effective vaccine for humans.  Last year, a West Nile virus vaccine for horses was released, and horse owners are taking all precautions, because up to 35 percent of all infected horses die due to the illness.

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