West Nile Virus in 2005

[Monica]

If they have found a vaccine for a virus, is it still a virus??? It seems as if one may have been found for WNV though are only about 98% sure it might work.

Researchers could be close to developing a vaccine for the West Nile Virus. Scientists at a Massachusetts biotech company called Acambis have been working on a drug they say has proved to be successful during initial tests.
The new vaccine was given to 60 people; it kept the mosquito-borne West Nile virus at bay in all except for one of them.
Scientists warn it's still far too early to know if the vaccine will ultimately work, but so far federal health officials say these results are a good sign.

The West Nile Virus is a major concern after a wet winter. On Wednesday, helicopters will begin a process to minimize mosquitoes in and around the Reno area. Chemical pellets will be dropped on wetland areas in hopes that West Nile infections will not triple last year's numbers, as state officials have warned could happen. Last year, forty-four cases of infected humans were reported.

(information from http://www.ktvn.com KTVN Channel 2 Local News [Reno, Nevada])



My only concern on the attacking of mosquitos would be the chemical pellets. I'm wondering if it may also effect other wildlife animals, and if so, what are the effects? I don't have any more information on this subject at the moment so am more worried right now about the chemical pellets than the mosquitos..

[Crebain]

I'm surprised Reno even has wetland areas ... shows how much I know.

[Monica]

LOL I know! We had 3 years of drout, then after 10 years of dry seasons, we got snow and rain all the way into May! Hardly any snow, mainly water really.... Last good snow I guess might have been in April...


I don't know of very many places in the area that are actually moist and make a good spot for mosquito breeding (okay, so I've only been here for a bit over 2 years, but the area isn't unfamiliar as I've lived most my life just 13-17 miles into California, and the climate over those 10 years was pretty much the same, except in Cali it was cooler and greener!).

[Peregrine Harlequin]

Originally Posted by Monica

If they have found a vaccine for a virus, is it still a virus???

My limited understanding of tiny, bad things is that a virus is a virus because of its physical makeup. It doesn't actively exist on its own outside of a host, yet it contains enough genetic material to replicate itself. I remember discussing whether a virus should be considered alive or not in my high school bio class, but that was 10 years ago (man, I'm starting to feel old).

Originally Posted by Monica

On Wednesday, helicopters will begin a process to minimize mosquitoes in and around the Reno area. Chemical pellets will be dropped on wetland areas in hopes that West Nile infections will not triple last year's numbers, as state officials have warned could happen.

This bothers me enough that I think I can safely say it's a damn good thing I live in New Jersey. I'll warn you that I haven't researched it, but mosquitos were one of the big reasons the dusky seaside sparrow is now extinct.

I won't presume to know anything about the ecology of the region around Reno, but if mosquitos are a main food source for any birds, their numbers are sure to drop as well. It could also affect any bats, small rodents, reptiles, and fish that eat them. It's always good when we can make our quality of life better. But when we do it at the expense of other species (which we're increasingly doing all to frequently), we need to make as little an impact as we possibly can.

[Monica]

I quite agree. I'm thinking that the pellets will be far more damaging that first expected. We have lakes, but as far as wetlands go... don't know of any that last for more than a month as its usually far too hot for any water source that may be little to actually stay. We have a lake here that can dry up completely in two to three days if the weather is warm enough (as it usually is, but its been cooling lately).