Will West Nile Virus Hit Bethlehem?

Last year, Lehigh County had two human cases of West Nile virus and Northampton County had one.

Based on population, that was about average among Pennsylvania counties.

Statewide, it was Pennsylvania's heaviest year on record for West Nile, said the Deparment of Environmental Protection's Colleen Connolly, with a mild winter giving mosquitoes a jump start on their breeding season.

Now, with temperatures rising and the county undergoing a pretty rainy week, Connolly cautioned residents against one thing that could help West Nile spread: standing water. If you see it, she said, get rid of it.

"Absolutely, that's the first thing," Connolly said. "Don't give the mosquitoes a place to breed."

To give residents a sense of West Nile’s prevalence in eastern Pennsylvania, Patch has pulled together county-level 2012 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The Cases and Incidence Rates
You can see how counties across the state compare by using the interactive map above, which shows the number of West Nile cases in humans and the infection rate. West Nile – named after the district in Uganda where the virus was first discovered – spread to New York City in 1999, and has been migrating across the United States ever since.  Last year was the deadliest year so far for West Nile in the United States, with more than 5,600 "confirmed and probable" cases, and at least 286 related deaths.

With 129 total confirmed positives among animals, humans and mosquitoes, it was the worst year Lehigh County has had since Pennsylvania started a West Nile Virus surveillance program in 2001, according to Louise Bugbee, the director of the county's West Nile program.

A hot spell in the early spring last year helped fuel a more sustained and severe West Nile season, Bugbee said.

Though this spring has been wet, it has been cool and West Nile Virus needs hotter weather to thrive. That may explain why there have been no reported cases of the disease yet this year, Bugbee said.

Local predictions for 2013 are very difficult to make. But nationally, "the number of humans with West Nile virus disease continues to rise in the United States," said Dr. Lyle Petersen, director of the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. 

No Vaccine, Little Reporting, But a High Cost
While there is a West Nile vaccine for horses, there isn't one for humans, according to Purdue University Professor Richard Kuhn. Furthering the problem is the fact that cases of West Nile often go unreported. 

“It's always underreported because if someone has a mild case they might not report it; they might think it’s a cold,” said Judith M. Lavelle, Health Communications Specialist at the CDC. 

There is currently no comprehensive treatment for someone infected by West Nile, which makes severe diagnoses all the more frightening. Patch spoke to one Texas man who survived a West Nile infection in 2006, and has dedicated himself to educating the public about the potentially debilitating disease.

“I was told point blank that I would never walk again - to forget it,” said Donnie Manry, of the Bryan County Police Department in Texas. “It was devastating.”

Manry, who was 43 at the time, said that within five days of being stung, encephalitis and meningitis left him paralyzed. Through rehabilitation, Manry was able to regain control of his body again, and now uses a cane to walk. 

From Birds to Bugs to Humans
West Nile has also been detected in bird populations, notably in Central Michigan. “Certain types of birds serve as a reservoir for West Nile Virus,” Kuhn said. An infected bird can pass the virus along to an uninfected mosquito when bitten. That’s why Wisconsin has launched a hotline for people to report dead birds in the area. 

Many states have begun testing mosquitoes for West Nile, with Pennsylvania, Illinois and California all reporting positive detection in certain counties. After the virus was detected in California, LA County began overnight aerial spraying to stop the spread. Residents are cautioned to remain indoors during the spraying.

Prevention and Symptoms
The CDC recommends using an EPA-certified mosquito repellant if you’re going to be outdoors, and lists some additional prevention tips on their website, including:

• When weather permits, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants outdoors.
• Place mosquito netting over infant carriers when you are outdoors.
• At least once or twice a week, empty water from flower pots, pet food and water dishes, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, and cans.

Bugbee, who works for the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service in Lehigh County, said the most important thing people can do is make sure that standing water is not allowed to remain in garbage cans and recycling containers that are left outdoors.

Bird baths, clogged gutters, wheelbarrows and even children's toys can contain enough standing water to allow mosquitoes to lay eggs, Bugbee said. "Any container that sits outside is fair game," she said.

This is also a good time of year to check the screens on your windows and doors to make sure that they can keep insects out, she added.

With the 2012 mosquito season was the highest on record, health officials are cautioning people to take immediate action if you believe you’ve been infected. The CDC website lists varying degrees of symptoms, including: 

• Serious Symptoms in a Few People. About one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness, including high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, and paralysis.
• Milder Symptoms in Some People. Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected have symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back.
• No Symptoms in Most People. Approximately 80 percent of people  infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.