News

• Mosquito Repellents - New Options and Recommendations: CDC is hoping to increase use of mosquito repellents to prevent WNV infection by recommending two repellents in addition to products containing DEET: Picaridin, also known as KBR 3023 and as Icaridin, has been available for many years in repellent products in Europe, Australia, Latin America, and Asia. One picaridin product is currently available in the United States, and more are expected soon. Oil of lemon eucalyptus, also called P-methane-3,8-diol or PMD, is a plant-based repellent available in a variety of formulations or products. For more information see the CDC advisory, EPA webpage and WestNileVirus-L post forwarded from Donald Baumgartner (EPA Pesticides Program, Chicago).

  Baumgartner summarizes the CDC update as follows: "of the EPA registered active ingredients, DEET and picaridin have demonstrated a higher degree of efficacy and provide longer-lasting protection than others... Two recent studies show that oil of lemon eucalyptus provides similar protection to repellents with low concentrations of DEET."

  NOTE: Higher concentration products do not do a better job of repelling mosquitoes, but last longer. Lower concentration products do as good a job at keeping mosquitoes away, but have to be re-applied more frequently. For more information about mosquito repellents see our Resources for the General Public and Bibliography of Scientific Literature.

• Tracking WNV: US Geological Survey (USGS) is mapping cases of WNV, updating maps twice weekly during prime mosquito months, based on CDC ArboNet data received in the wee hours (3am) every Tuesday and Friday morning. Maps chart cases in humans, wild birds, horses, and sentinels (chickens and other animals) as well as WNV-positive mosquitoes. See: USGS West Nile Virus Maps website westnilemaps.usgs.gov
• Vaccine centre: The new International Vaccine Centre (InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan will develop and test vaccines that protect Canadians from emerging diseases, including avian influenza, West Nile virus and SARS. The federal government announced in March it will invest $24 million over 4 years to establish InterVac; the Canada Foundation for Innovation has already contributed $19.2 million. The $61.8 million InterVac facility, which is due to open in 2009, is part of the university's nonprofit Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization.
  Source: CMAJ. June 7, 2005. 172 (12)

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the health risk to people from the West Nile Virus?
• How can I reduce my personal risk and my community's risk from the West Nile virus?
• What should I know about mosquitoes?
• Should I (or someone in my family) be tested for West Nile Virus if bitten by a mosquito?
• Can I be vaccinated against West Nile Virus? Is there a vaccine for horses? For other animals?
• Was West Nile Virus brought to the United States by bioterrorists?
• What are the issues and the risks of West Nile Virus transmission via organ transplant, blood transfusions and breastfeeding?

For Response click on the Question.

ERAP Publications and Educational Materials

The What's Going on with the West Nile Virus webpages are a "portal" for information and educational materials about West Nile Virus. The website includes periodic informational updates and announcements, archives of the WESTNILEVIRUS-L listserv, educational materials developed by Cornell's Environmental Risk Analysis Program, and hyperlinked listings of resources developed by numerous sources, including the prevention and control plans of federal and state agencies:

A summary of the West Nile Virus outbreak in the United States from 1999 to mid-September, 2001) and short descriptions of related research underway at Cornell is lead article in the Fall 2001 newsletter of Cornell's Center for the Environment.

Poster: Mosquito Hygiene throughout the Life Cycle of Culex Mosquitoes. This full-color 11 x 17 poster shows what Culex mosquitoes look like at each stage of development (egg, larva, pupa and adult) and provides practical information about mosquito control at each life stage. The 2nd edition with improved life-stage photos and revised text was released in late June 2002. Note: The poster is currently only available electronically as a PDF.

ERAP's West Nile Virus education program has been supported by Smith-Lever funds from the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), through a grant from Cornell Cooperative Extension, and by a grant from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's Office of Global Programs (NOAA-OGP) for the project "Climate Effects, West Nile Virus Vector Development, and Transmission Risk" (Sept 1, 2004-Aug 31, 2007).