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   Is it just me?

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Topic: Is it just me? (Read 713 times)

Bumper
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Is it just me?
« on: Jul 22^nd, 2002, 10:51am »

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The national press has been talking a lot lately about the INCREASE of outbreaks of the West Nile Virus. They point out an alarming increase in cases and also report that the virus is moving further and further westward in the US. Various government wags point out that the increase in this possible deadly disease could well be the fault of CITIZENS allowing water to stand stagnant around their homes, pools, etc., thus providing a breeding area for the mosquitos.

Why all of a sudden (just in the past 5 years or so) is this West Nile virus breaking out at such a rate??

Have you ever noticed that at EVERY new construction project in the US, be it a new department store, a shopping center, business/office park, whatever! that there is now a FEDERALLY DICTATED requirement for a holding area to keep runoff water on site?? Can't direct this water to the sewer - you have to deal with it ON SITE! This usually results in a small pond or swampy looking "natural" area, (usually fenced off).
Next time you're out and about in your area, pay attention to these "natural water containment areas". Most people aren't even aware of them.
Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that this federal intruision, (mandate) in the guise of "protecting the enviroment" is the MAJOR contrubutor of new sources of standing water in our communities?

Another example of the EPA going overboard and not thinking things through OR not allowing flexibility in their regulations. Helping the "enviroment" at the expense of mandating a breeding area for a deadly disease doesn't seem like a good idea to me!
What really strikes me as odd is that in NONE of the press reports that I have seen, local or national, do they even talk about these areas as possible contributing factors. It is always about the CITIZENS causing their own problem by leaving water standing in their birdbath or wherever!!

That's just my opinion of course, I could be wrong . . . . :golf:

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Kramer
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Re: Is it just me?
« Reply #1 on: Jul 22^nd, 2002, 11:38am »

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Forgive me my ignorance, but I will confess up front I haven't heard much about this or read much about this subject, but I was shocked to read that they think that standing water causes this problem.

I live near woods, no water around, it is a haven for mosquitos. I am sure that they breed nicely, with or without water. Blaming citizens for standing water is kinda silly, IMHO. How can one control the mosquito population? I mean, they fly!!!

« Last Edit: Jul 22^nd, 2002, 11:40am by Kramer »

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crypto
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Re: Is it just me?
« Reply #2 on: Jul 22^nd, 2002, 1:46pm »

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West Nile has been a hot topic around Dallas and Houston. There have been several reported cases of it in crows and blue jays. The news give updates nightly on the areas of town that are being sprayed, in efforts to try and contain the virus. But I've yet to hear them blame it on the citizens and standing water. What they think is the cause (which equates to I have no :censored:

idea), is the vast increase in rains we've had this year. So Bumper, maybe the blaming of citizens is only in your area.

« Last Edit: Jul 22^nd, 2002, 1:55pm by crypto »

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Bumper
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Re: Is it just me?
« Reply #3 on: Jul 23^rd, 2002, 11:20am »

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Maybe I missed making my point. It's not that the press (in my area and others) is blaming citizens about standing water, it's that NONE of the press has even QUESTIONED the fact that this recent regulation by the EPA COULD be a possible LEADING CONTRIBUTING FACTOR in the increase of outbreaks of West Nile Virus in our metropolitian areas!

There has been a real shortage of rain in my area this summer, but even with the drought conditions, we have had an increase in outbreaks of this potentially deadly disease.

It just seems to me that because of this regulation by the EPA, we have BUILT areas to hold standing water, and have provided breeding areas for mosquitos right in the middle of our communities!

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Bumper
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Re: Is it just me?
« Reply #4 on: Aug 1^st, 2002, 2:57pm »

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Hmmmmmmm, three posts in 10 days, . . .
. . . . .I guess it WAS just me! Shocked

. . . and today in the paper, I read where another person has died as a result of the West Nile Virus. This time a woman in Louisiana.

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LibertyBelle
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Re: Is it just me?
« Reply #5 on: Aug 1^st, 2002, 9:04pm »

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It isn't just you Bump, I have the same opinion you do. I've had a little pond and a birdfeeder in my back garden for years so it's odd that now they are (allegedly) a danger. I didn't know about the regulation you refer to, but it doesn't surprise me. As you know, Strider works for the fed, and his fave saying is "if you want something totally f...ed up, let the government "solve" it. :dunce:

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Irishlass
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Re: Is it just me?
« Reply #6 on: Aug 1^st, 2002, 9:50pm »

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I'd never given all of those retention ponds a thought before. I'm not sure that is the kind of water that mosquitoes like to breed in. My understanding is that they breed in stagnant water. Small areas of standing water with no movement like discarded tires, clogged roof gutters and bird baths. I read somewhere that ornamental pools are fine as long as they are aerated or stocked with fish that eat the larvae. Mosquitoes can breed in any puddle that lasts more than 4 days. I suppose that in forests and woods puddles and fallen hollow logs might provide a breeding ground too. Does anyone else know anymore about this?

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Irishlass
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Re: Is it just me?
« Reply #7 on: Aug 3^rd, 2002, 3:03pm »

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on Aug 1^st, 2002, 2:57pm, Bumper wrote:

. . . and today in the paper, I read where another person has died as a result of the West Nile Virus. This time a woman in Louisiana.

Louisiana is now reporting 58 confirmed cases of West Nile Virus, with 4 deaths reported. The governor has declared a state of emergency there.

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Rhune
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Re: Is it just me?
« Reply #8 on: Aug 10^th, 2002, 9:32am »

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West Nile virus spreading and killing
August 10, 2002 Posted: 10:07 AM EDT (1407 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two more people have died from the West Nile virus in Louisiana, and the virus has been detected in animals in two more states, Vermont and Kansas, health officials said Friday.

So far, seven people -- all in Louisiana -- have died this year from West Nile.

The total number of states where the virus has been found in animals -- horses, birds or mosquitoes -- is now 36, while humans have contracted the virus in six states and the District of Columbia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a total of 136 human infection cases: Louisiana (85), Mississippi (34), Texas (12), Illinois (2), Alabama (1), Indiana (1) and the District of Columbia (1).

The latest victims in Louisiana were a 76-year-old woman in St. Tammany Parish who died August 2 and a 94-year-old woman in Tangipahoa Parish who died August 4, said Dr. Erin Brewer, regional medical director for the Louisiana Office of Public Health.

She said another 85 people in the state have been sickened by the virus, 59 of them with the most serious symptoms: encephalitis or meningitis or both. They are potentially fatal swellings of the brain or of the membranes that cover it. Both conditions can be fatal. Nine of the 59 are hospitalized in intensive care units.

In Indiana, a 46-year-old woman who was hospitalized for four days with flu-like symptoms turned out to be infected with West Nile virus, said Dr. William Dannacher, the health officer for Wabash County. She has since recovered and been discharged, he said.

The positive result, which was confirmed Friday by the CDC, was not surprising, he said. "Twenty-some counties in the state have had birds tested positive for West Nile. There's no question that it's around."

CDC officials said an infected horse had been discovered in Kansas, and the Vermont Department of Health reported an infected bird found there.

At highest risk for becoming infected with the mosquito-borne virus are the elderly, those with compromised immune systems and young children.

Most infections are mild, and symptoms, which don't always appear, include fever, headache, and body aches, occasionally with skin rashes. A more severe infection may be marked by headache, high fever, neck stiffness and disorientation.

Dr. Lyle Petersen, a West Nile virus expert for the CDC, said the virus causes severe symptoms in one of every 150 people infected.

Most people get either no symptoms, or milder expressions of the disease.

The CDC recommends that people reduce the risk of being bitten and becoming infected by staying indoors at dawn, dusk, and in the early evening; wearing loose long-sleeved shirts and long pants whenever they are outdoors; and using insect repellent that contains the chemical DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) -- 20 percent to 30 percent DEET for adults, under 10 percent for children.

The CDC also urges people to get rid of all outdoor standing water, where mosquitoes can breed.

The CDC is also looking into the theory that the hot, dry weather may be a factor in the rise in West Nile activity because it affects mosquito breeding areas. Mosquitos breed in small, dense pools of water. In extremely hot weather, large pools of water get smaller and more dense.

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Irishlass
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Re: Is it just me?
« Reply #9 on: Aug 10^th, 2002, 10:54am »

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Like it says in Rhune's latest post, a person in Indiana now has West Nile. That case is just an hour away from where we are. That's getting a little to close to home.

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