CNN U.S. braces for return of West Nile virus

"Before there was SARS, there was West Nile virus. And with the arrival of summer, the re-emergence of mosquitoes and the resurgence of West Nile cases won't be far behind, say experts.

"I think the smart money would say we're going to have another heavy season of West Nile virus this summer because of the wet spring, (which means) a lot of mosquitoes," Dr. Daniel Blumenthal, an infectious disease expert from Morehouse College in Atlanta, told CNN."

The New York Times All 50 States Now Warn of West Nile Virus Threat
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""I would say that these early season reports of West Nile are distressing," said Michael L. Bunning, an epidemiologist at the National Center for Infectious Diseases in Fort Collins, Colo., who tracks the outbreak in birds and animals. "We're seeing the same level of activity as last year, which is not a good sign. We haven't seen any sign that things are on a downward cycle." He added, "It's just a matter of time before we have the first human case.""

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The Nando Times Louisiana declares emergency amid West Nile virus outbreak

"After four deaths in the biggest outbreak of the West Nile virus since it was first detected in the Northeast three years ago, Louisiana's governor declared a state of emergency and asked for federal aid for more spraying in the swampy, mosquito-filled state.

The outbreak has infected 58 Louisiana residents. The four deaths are the first in the country this year, bringing the national toll to 22 since 1999, when the mosquito-borne virus was first detected in the New York area."

The Washington Post West Nile Virus Kills Four, Sickens 88 in Three States

""This is not the time to be optimistic. We will probably be in the hundreds of cases," Raoult Ratard, Louisiana's state epidemiologist, said yesterday.

These cases are occurring early and in larger numbers than in previous West Nile outbreaks. This is viewed as an ominous sign the virus may pose a greater threat as it enters the Gulf states, where the mosquito season frequently extends into November."

USA Today West Nile cases are on the rise in Louisiana

"The pattern of spread indicates the virus is carried by migrating birds moving north and west, says Robert McLean of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis."

" But in the upper Midwest, "there is some degree of indifference" to the presence of the virus, says Nebraska state entomologist Wayne Kramer. "They haven't had any human cases, but you can't be complacent. The virus is entrenching in those states, and who knows what's in store for us.""

CNN West Nile Virus found in dead bird from WH lawn

"A dead crow, found on the White House South Lawn, has tested positive for the West Nile Virus, local health officials said Monday."

""There have been a couple of previous instances," Jim Mackin, a Secret Service spokesman, told CNN, recalling at least one previous case where a bird infected with the virus was found dead inside the White House grounds."

CDC West Nile VIrus Home Page

"West Nile virus was first isolated from a febrile adult woman in the West Nile District of Uganda in 1937. The ecology was characterized in Egypt in the 1950s. The virus became recognized as a cause of severe human meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the spinal cord and brain) in elderly patients during an outbreak in Israel in 1957. Equine disease was first noted in Egypt and France in the early 1960s. The first appearance of WN virus in North America in 1999, with encephalitis reported in humans and horses, and the subsequent spread in the United States may be an important milestone in the evolving history of this virus."