Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

West Nile Virus still a threat in Mississippi
By Rachel Toche
Daily Mississippian (U. Mississippi)
07/18/2006

(U-WIRE) OXFORD, Miss. — Mosquitoes are some of the most annoying bugs known to mankind, and they can also be carrying one of the deadliest diseases.

Mississippi's West Nile Virus season usually peaks in July, August and September, although in 2006, Mississippi has only seen one confirmed human case of West Nile Virus in Copiah County.

Officials say this is no reason to overlook precautions for the remainder of the summer.

—While mosquito numbers in themselves do not mean there will be a corresponding increase in cases of WNV, the public should still take personal protective measures against mosquito bites,— said Mississippi State Department of Health Epidemiologist Mills McNeill.

Prevention of WNV is imperative for healthy living and many precautions can be taken to avoid the disease.

The department of health suggests:

-Always avoiding places where mosquitoes are present-times like the morning and the evening are premium times for mosquitoes to be out.

-Wearing mosquito repellent, especially repellents containing Picaridin.

-Wearing shoes with socks, long pants and long sleeve shirts when going outside for long periods of time, even in hot summer weather.

Knowing the symptoms of WNV can help identify and beat the disease. The state health department recognizes two kinds of WNV: mild infection and severe infection.

A few symptoms of having a mild infection are: anorexia, nausea, eye pains, vomiting, headaches, and rashes.

With a severe infection, symptoms are more intense and include: fevers, weakness, seizures, cranial nerve abnormalities, and changes in mental status.

Treatment of WNV often requires hospitalization with a constant flow of intravenous fluids, respiratory support and prevention of secondary illnesses for those with severe infections.

At the University of Mississippi, Charles Cantrell, a research chemist at the National Center Development of Natural Products, has been working on a natural mosquito repellent with the help of the American Beautyberry plant.

Cantrell said that he knows of no vaccine available to cure the WNV, although he and other chemists are working on a natural repellent.

Cantrell and his associates have been working on finding out which chemical in the Beautyberry plant creates the repellent. In the Beautyberry plant, they found a single chemical, callicarpenal, and tested it against two separate kinds of mosquitoes that are known to carry yellow fever and malaria.

Callicarpenal was successful in repelling the two types of mosquito and deer ticks. Although the chemical has not yet been tested against the type of mosquito that carries West Nile, the chemists can only be optimistic.

Cantrell said that other natural repellents are available already. DEET is one of the most commonly used repellents, and is available in stores.

However, the available form of DEET is mixed with other chemicals and isn't a completely —natural remedy,— he said.

In 2005, Lafayette County didn't have any cases of WNV, but 70 cases in the state and six deaths were documented. Lafayette County has never had a single case of WNV since its original outbreak in the U.S. in 2002.

A total of 193 cases were documented in Mississippi in 2002, according to the Mississippi State Health Department Web site, http://www.msdh.state.ms.us/. Out of those 193 cases, only 12 people died.

WNV is a mosquito-borne disease that affects birds, animals and humans, birds being the most susceptible of the three. A dead bird is a warning sign that infected mosquitoes are in the area. To report dead birds, call the West Nile Hotline at (877) WEST-NILE.

[ Back to Student Voices ]