108th Congress

“Current Challenges in Combating the West Nile Virus” – Hearing before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs, Representative Doug Ose [R-CA], Chairman

October 6, 2004

Witnesses:

• Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director of NIAID
• Dr . Stephan Ostroff, Deputy Director, National Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC
• Benjamin J. Grumbles, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Water, EPA
• Dr. Marm Kilpatrick, Senior Research Scientist, the Consortium for Conservation Medicine at Wildlife Trust
• Ms. Wendy Station, Founder, Encephalitis Global
• David Brown, Chair, Integrated Pest Management, Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California
• Joe Conlon, Technical Advisor, American Mosquito Control Association
• Dr. Jonathan Weisbuch, Director of Public Health, Maricopa County, Arizona
• John Pape, Chief Epidemiologist, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The hearing was held to explore current activities and challenges to Federal, state, and local efforts to control or eradicate the WNV epidemic. In his opening remarks, Representative Ose discussed the impact of WNV infection in the six years since public health officials diagnosed the first U.S. case, and noted the resulting cases of death and disability as a consequence of meningitis and encephalitis. He and Representatives John Tiemey (D-MA), Ranking Member, and Candice Miller (R-MI), full Committee member, raised concerns about the EPA’s guidance regarding mosquito control and the agency’s interpretation of the applicability of Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Clean Water Act (CWA) requirements on mosquito abatement efforts. They noted these as having a hampering effect on state and local efforts to control and eradicate infected mosquito populations.

Dr. Fauci described NIAID’s efforts related to WNV, a member of the flavivirus family on which the Institute began working decades ago. These early efforts provided a solid foundation for WNV research and enabled NIAID research to more forward more rapidly. The Institute expends more than $40 million on WNV research and focuses its efforts on basic research and development of vaccines and therapeutics. Dr. Fauci discussed the Institute’s work on a chimeric WNV vaccine, which uses the Yellow Fever virus (a flavivirus member) as the starting platform, and promising preliminary results in animals. If all goes well, a WNV vaccine could be available in two to three years.

Dr. Ostroff discussed CDC WNV surveillance data, with more than 14,000 cases reported to CDC since 1999 and more than 1,800 new infections in 2004. He said, CDC is committed to preventing new cases and is focusing its efforts on developing diagnostics, supporting research at academic centers, and developing model guidelines for state and local prevention and control programs.

Mr. Grumble discussed the role of EPA in integrated pest management, particularly related to WNV, issues related to FIFRA and CWA, and efforts to inform and educate the public regarding ways to control mosquitos. He described circumstances for which FIFRA and CWA apply and attempted to clarify the agency’s interpretations that are in question.

Participants on Panel 2 discussed the extent of the WNV problem in their respective areas of the country, activities to predict WNV outbreaks a year in advance, and efforts to eliminate mosquito larvae and adult populations. Several participants called for greater funding for applied research and for public health laboratory infrastructure.