The West Nile Virus has been spread all over the world by little tiny mosquitoes, but thankfully very few mosquitoes carry West Nile Virus. This virus causes infection to the brain. This virus can infect both humans and animals. A human’s chance of getting this virus is really low, but you still need to take steps to protect yourself and wildlife.

Some of the steps you can take to protect yourself and wildlife are: put mosquito repellent on before you go outside, check out nearby swamps and standing pools of water, and try to get bats in to your neighborhood to get rid of the mosquitoes.

The West Nile Virus has infected a lot of bird species. It also effects horses. Thousands of raptors have died all over the U. S. The disease is an epidemic among birds. Great horned owls and red tailed hawks have been hit the hardest. There is no treatment for this virus, so prevention is the best thing to do to help reduce the spreading virus.

As recently as 5/3/03 on the evening news, a reporter said the West Nile Virus is moving toward San Diego. One thing he said to watch for was a sudden increase in the number of dead birds in your yard or neighborhood, especially if you can’t tell why they have died. If someone sees a lot of dead birds in their area they should call the Department of Fish and Game to report it.

Even more harmful to birds is the Exotic Newcastle Disease or E.N.D. This is a highly contagious disease within the chicken industry, and birds in cages or aviaries. E.N.D. is very easy to catch through the air, feces, or physical contact. The bird exhibits at the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park have been closed to visitors for months as a precaution. The bird keepers have to change their uniforms every day so the chance of carrying the virus in to the birds is low.

There is not a lot of information about how the disease effects wild birds, however most birds, including wild species can get it. When a bird has E.N.D. they may have weakness in their muscles, neck, legs, toes, and wings. It may even paralyze the bird.

Exotic Newcastle Disease is fatal. A bird that gets the disease must be killed to keep the disease from spreading. Millions of birds have had to be put down in San Diego County alone so the virus will not spread. There are seven counties in Southern California that are under quarantine. This means that exotic or caged birds cannot be moved from county to county. This has also been done to keep the disease from spreading.

Some good, late breaking news about E.N.D. appeared in the San Diego Union Thursday, May 1. Staff writer Elizabeth Fitzsimons wrote, “Spread of fatal bird disease has slowed.” She reports in the article that 3.2 million birds throughout the southwestern U.S. have been destroyed in the past 6 months because of E.N.D., but in the last four weeks there have been no new cases. It will be several months before we know if the disease is gone.

We should do everything we can to keep the 2 viruses from spreading. It is important for humans to protect wildlife. We all share the world and we need to help each other out. If a whole species of birds gets these diseases they could be endangered, and if the species is already endangered they could be totally wiped out!

Bibliography

www.nwhc.usgs.gov/research/west_nile/west_nile.html ; National Wildlife Health Center; U.S. Dept. of Interior; updated 2-19-03

www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/wnv/wnv.htm ; Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/ah/Newcastle_info.htm ; California Dept. of Food and Agriculture, Animal Health Branch; Fact Sheet: Exotic Newcastle Disease in Wild Bird Populations; April 2003

www.dpi.qld.gov.au/health/3950.html ; Newcastle Disease; Queensland Government, Department of Primary Industries