West Nile virus is an encephalitis transmitted by mosquitoes. West Nile virus is primarily a bird illness and is transmitted from infected birds to other birds by mosquitoes. But the mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus can also transmit it to humans through insect bites. Thus the importance of mosquito control, including the natural mosquito control methods discussed on Page 1, when you plan on spending time outside -- particularly in wooded areas.
While mosquitoes transmit the West Nile virus from blood stream to blood stream, it is the infected birds who serve as the agents that transport West Nile virus into new areas. Birds infected in one region can fly to another region prior to dying from West Nile virus. Once in the new region, they can be bitten by mosquitoes again, and the latter become new carriers, perpetuating the cycle.
West Nile virus was first detected in 1937 in a province in Uganda by the same name, according to the West Nile Virus Center. Prior to its introduction to North America in 1999, cases of West Nile virus had been reported in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In 1999 the first North American cases were reported in New York City. Seven people died in this outbreak.
Since then West Nile virus has spread to most of the states in the U.S. and also to Canada. Although not everyone who is infected dies from it, the threat posed by West Nile virus must be taken seriously. In the northern U.S. and Canada most cases are reported in late summer and early fall. In warmer regions cases are reported year-round.
From a Landscaping Perspective, What Can be Done About West Nile Virus?
Besides using mosquito repellants to protect your person against insect bites, those working on the landscape can take measures to help stop the spread of West Nile virus. Since West Nile virus is transmitted to humans via mosquitoes, and since the larvae of mosquitoes are found in standing water, one group of measures should obviously focus on sources of standing water in your landscaping. But just what those sources consist of can be far from obvious. So the nooks and crannies holding up "Welcome" signs to mosquito larvae is the subject of Page 3….
