Droughts actually make West Nile virus worse stat : Popular Science

While some people do get very sick from West Nile, many others who catch the virus show no symptoms, and any human that catches the virus is immune to future West Nile virus epidemics. Droughts bring a whole host of problems to humanity; limited water supplies, more wildfires, and the perfect conditions for a West Nile virus epidemic. Paull and colleagues also discovered that another key aspect of large West Nile virus outbreaks was human immunity. But if you do live somewhere where West Nile virus is prevalent, consider taking steps to protect yourself. So in areas that have already had large, drought-induced West Nile virus outbreaks, the number of people available to infect decreases dramatically, regardless of climate conditions.




Explore further: Higher temperatures helped new strain of West Nile virus spreadMore information: Drought and immunity determine the intensity of West Nile virus epidemics and climate change impacts, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/lookup/doi/10.1098/rspb.2016.2078 Culex pipiens is among the mosquito species that are important in transmitting West Nile virus in North America. West Nile virus was introduced into North America in 1999 and has caused yearly epidemics each summer since. Data from Colorado indicate that drought increases the fraction mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus, but not the abundance of mosquitoes. They analyzed 15 years of data on human West Nile virus infections from across the United States and found that epidemics were much larger in drought years and in regions that had not suffered large epidemics in the past.


VALLEY CENTER (CNS) - San Diego County environmental health officials Wednesday reported the first local discovery of the year of West Nile virus -- in a dead red-tailed hawk in Valley Center. Statewide, 436 Californians tested positive for West Nile virus in 2016 and 19 people died. County officials also urged residents to contact vector control when they find dead birds or green swimming pools, by calling (858) 694-2888 or emailing vector@sdcounty.ca.gov. In 2016, 22 county residents tested positive for the disease and two died. County vector control teams also found 266 dead birds that tested positive for the virus last year, as well as 99 batches of mosquitoes, nine sentinel chickens and one horse.



collected by :Sandra Alex
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