A study, released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that the West Nile virus is annihilating the native bird population in the United States. The study looked at the impact of the virus on 49 species from information collected at over 500 bird banding stations across the U.S. from 1992 to 2007.
UCLA’s Ryan Harrigan and his colleagues found significant declines in survival rates associated with West Nile virus for 23 out of 49 of the species examined.
Millions of birds can die in a single year when West Nile hits species with large populations. Among the estimated 130 million red-eyed vireos in the United States, researchers believe the virus killed 29 percent, or more than 37 million.
West Nile, a mosquito-borne virus, was introduced in North America in 1989. It has drawn the most attention for its impact on humans, with 1 in 5 people who are infected developing a fever with other symptoms, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In rare cases, people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, neurologic illness.
According to the CDC, West Nile Virus which originated in birds, then spread to mammals and then humans killed 85 people last year with 2,122 cases reported. So far, 63 deaths have been reported, 28 in California alone, with 1,197 cases reported in the United States. The first deaths from West Nile Virus were reported in 1999.
The most deaths were reported in 2012 with 5674 cases reported and 286 deaths.
Wildlife officials in Utah have solved a mystery revolving around a cluster of dead bald eagles.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources says lab tests confirmed that 27 bald eagles found in a small area all died from West Nile Virus.
The statement from the DWR guesses that the birds ate smaller birds who had been migrating through the area which were carriers of the virus. The cluster of birds infected include five other eagles who are being treated at a wildlife rehabilitation center.
The agency says the migration of the feeder birds is ending decreasing the likelihood of finding more dead birds. However, members of the public are encouraged to avoid contact with any dead or sick bird they may find.
Officials in Weld County, Colorado are raising the concern that the flooding which devastated Colorado could lead to a major outbreak of West Nile Virus.
Weather forecasts are calling for hot weather and that could speed up the growing process for mosquitoes that transmit the disease. The eggs could mature into an adult in just a week. Continue reading →
The 2012 outbreak of West Nile Virus is only 20 cases away from topping 2006, the second worst year on record.
The Centers for Disease Control has officially confirmed 4,249 cases of West Nile virus this year. The number of deaths from the virus has risen to 168.
The record is 9,862 CDC confirmed cases in 2003. Continue reading →
The outbreak of West Nile Virus in the United States continues to set records as infections reported to the CDC skyrocket.
Arkansas health officials have reported that 5 people have died from the virus this year. In addition, officials confirm that 43 people have been infected by the virus this year in the state. By comparison, there was only one case of West Nile Virus in Arkansas last year and no deaths. Continue reading →
The death toll from West Nile virus broke into the triple digits last week as another 30% increase in cases is being reported by health officials.
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported at least 2,636 cases of the virus with a confirmed 118 fatalities. The totals are the highest recorded by the second week of September since 2003 when public health officials launched an aggressive random testing campaign. Continue reading →
The US death toll from West Nile virus has jumped almost one third in a one-week period. The Centers for Disease Control reports that 87 people have now been confirmed to have died from the disease.
The number of cases confirmed by the CDC has also jumped in the past week from 1,590 to 1,993. It is now officially the largest outbreak of West Nile virus in the United States since 1999. Continue reading →
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated that cases of West Nile virus rose 40 percent last week and are on pace to hit the record levels of 2002 and 2003.
The CDC says 1,590 cases have now been confirmed with 66 deaths. Half the cases have been in Texas. Continue reading →
The director of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases for the CDC is warning that the United States could see the worst outbreak of West Nile Virus in history.
The virus is responsible for 41 deaths in the US and over 1,100 people infected. The CDC states that increase is alarming considering that only 25 cases had been reported last month. The only states that do not have cases reported are Alaska, Hawaii and Vermont. Continue reading →
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings has declared a health emergency in the city due to an increase in West Nile Virus infections among residents.
Centers for Disease Control states that half the cases of West Nile confirmed this year are in Texas and that 14 of the 26 confirmed deaths were Texans. 2012 has already had more confirmed cases of West Nile Virus in the US than any previous year’s total. Continue reading →