West
Nile virus
West
Nile virus –
Is the prevention worse than the disease?
By
Dana Cox
 Jessie
Brand’s house backs onto a wooded
ravine. When the weather is good, she
loves to sit outside, listening to the
soothing sounds of the creek as it meanders
through the forest beyond her fenceline.
But not all of Jessie’s neighbors
appreciate the close proximity of Nature
anymore. “Last summer, the elderly
lady who lives next door called city officials,
demanding they spray the entire ravine
to kill off the mosquitoes,” says
Jessie. “Even though she rarely
comes out, she’s terrified she’s
going to get West Nile virus.”
Jessie’s neighbor isn’t the
only one who’s scared. Since the
mosquito-borne West Nile Virus (WNv) was
first detected in the United States in
1999, a wave of fear has washed across
communities throughout North America.
Many experts point to dogged media attention
and the exotic origins of the virus (it
was first identified in Africa in 1937)
for creating the hysteria. They say some
overzealous politicians have responded
inappropriately to public concern by introducing
blanket pesticide spraying campaigns designed
to eradicate the mosquitoes – campaigns
that they say are ineffective and potentially
much worse for us and our animal companions
than the virus itself.
Dr. David Pimentel, a professor of entomology
at Cornell University and a longtime pesticide
researcher pointed out the problems in
an article in Newsday. “In order
to work, the insecticide must hit the
mosquito directly,” said Dr. Pimentel.
“But since spray trucks are only
fogging the street side of buildings,
I doubt that more than one-tenth of one
percent of the poison is actually hitting
its target. And you have to put out a
lot of material to get that one-tenth
of a percent onto the mosquito. We need
to address this, because if we’re
just spraying all over and not doing a
damn bit of good, then this is a waste
of time and money, and it’s also
a hazard.”
Shawnee Hoover, Special Projects Director
of the Washington, DC-based group Beyond
Pesticides, agrees. “There’s
no research or credible proof that adultacides
prevent or affect West Nile incidence
at all,” she says. Other sources
express concern that the pesticides will
kill mosquito predators, such as fish,
dragonflies, damselflies and beetles and,
similar to the antibiotic crisis, will
produce pesticide-resistant “super”
mosquitoes.
To deal with the fall-out of West Nile-related
spraying, Beyond Pesticides has formed
a new coalition – the National Alliance
for Informed Mosquito Management (AIMM)
to share information and education with
the public and government bodies about
the dangers of spraying and the alternatives
that are available. The group puts companion
animals in a high risk category for effects
from pesticides. “Because of their
size and being close to the ground, they
would be affected the same way as children.
We know, for instance, that the lawn care
product 2,4-D has been linked to non-Hodgkins
lymphoma in dogs.” While West Nile
virus has infected humans, birds, cats,
bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, and
domestic rabbits, so far only one dog
case has been reported. Those most at
risk include birds and horses, and an
equine vaccine is now available to protect
this species.
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Published
in the June/July 2005 issue of Animal
Wellness
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