Question:
http://www.click2houston.com/hou/news/stories/news-151887420020618-17...
West Nile Virus Found In Harris County
Officials Urge Precautions
Posted: 5:23 p.m. CDT June 18, 2002
Updated: 6:01 p.m. CDT June 18, 2002
HOUSTON -- A blue jay found in Harris County contracted West Nile
virus -- the first case found in Texas, according to the Harris County
Health Department.
The infected bird was found in northwest Houston, near Gessner and
Hammerly.
VIDEO
Dangerous Virus Found In Harris County
SURVEY
Do You Take Precautions Against Mosquitoes?
"This is the first recorded incident of West Nile virus in Texas. We
have been taking our dead birds down to UTMB in Galveston for about a
year now," said Dr. Ray Parsons with the Harris County Mosquito
Control District. "It's very important that people throughout the
county, not just in these areas where we're finding the dead birds
now, but throughout the county, start thinking about mosquitoes and
protecting themselves a little bit."
West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes to birds, horses and people,
and it can be deadly, health officials said.
"There's a possibility that the Asian Tiger mosquito, which is a
daytime biter, might be a vector of this. No one knows yet," Parsons
said.
West Nile virus was first found in the United States in 1999 in the
Northeast, where it killed several people.
Since then, the virus has spread to 13 other states and Washington,
D.C.
Since Louisiana reported a case, health officials said that it was
just a matter of time before it made it to Texas.
Houstonians were urged to take precautions while outside.
Take Precautions
Stay indoors at dawn, dusk and early evening
When outside, wear long-sleeve shirts and pants
Spray skin and clothing with mosquito repellant that contains DEET
Symptoms In Horses
Loss of appetite
Depression
Fever
Weakness
Convulsions
Symptoms In Humans
Flulike illness, with moderate to high fever
Headache
Muscle or joint pain
Fatigue
Nausea
Respiratory symptoms
Since the symptoms could also be signs of another illness, doctors
suggest that proper medical tests be conducted.
For more information on West Nile virus, visit www.cdc.gov or
http://texaserc.tamu.edu.
Answer:
>But they have TBE there already!!! In Harris >County, another flavivirae.
Sorry!! Erroneous. They have Saint Louis Encephalitis, not Tick Borne
Encephalitis.
Another flavivirus-
1: Am J Trop Med Hyg 2001 Jan-Feb;64(1-2):12-9 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut
Multiple genotypes of St. Louis encephalitis virus (Flaviviridae: Flavivirus)
circulate in Harris County, Texas.
Chandler LJ, Parsons R, Randle Y.
University of Texas Medical Branch, World Health Organization Collaborating
Center for Tropical Diseases, Galveston 77555-0740, USA.
Laura.Chand...@utmb.edu
St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) is endemic in Harris County, Texas. The disease is
a public health concern in Houston, the largest city in Harris County, and in
the state. Consequently, intensive surveillance for SLE virus in local mosquito
populations is carried out by the Harris County Mosquito Control Division each
year. In this study, we examined genetic variation among SLE isolates obtained
during routine virus surveillance over a 13-year time period (1986-1999). St.
Louis encephalitis virus isolates were tested for genetic variation using
reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction followed by single-strand
conformation polymorphism (SSCP). The results indicated that multiple genotypes
of the virus circulate in Harris County. During several years, the genotypes
were restricted in their location, i.e., each general area within the county
had a specific genotype of the virus. In other years, the various genotypes
were widely distributed throughout the county. The presence of multiple
distinct genotypes suggests that viruses with different biological
characteristics may be circulating in Harris County, and that discrete foci of
SLE virus activity occur simultaneously.
