John
Sun, Sep-08-02, 13:58
West Nile Virus - A Manufactured Crisis by Lynn Landes
What to do about West Nile? Don't do anything. It has the
smell of a manufactured crisis. The news on West Nile is a
disturbing combination of hype, confusion, distortion, and
omission. Take a look at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
website for, "West Nile Virus Update - Current Case Count,"
and you'll see a startling variation in the incidence of West
Nile infections and fatalities from state to state - and even
within the same region. It makes me wonder.
On a daily basis TV reporters raise the alarm and breathlessly
announce new cases of West Nile, but it's hard to tell if
they're talking about fatalities or infections.
We're told that both children and the elderly are most at
risk, when in fact children are the least at risk for the
disease, according to the CDC, but most at risk for the toxic
effects of pesticides and mosquito repellents.
Both the CDC and state public health agencies give out general
information about the number of victims, but not specific data
on individual victims that may shed light on the medical
reality of this so-called crisis.
The virus is characterized as new and dangerous, when it's not
significantly different from viruses that have been in the
United States for decades.
West Nile may be a nasty experience for a very few, fatal for
an exceedingly rare number, but as diseases go...it's no big
deal. There are about 40 different types of mosquitoes that
carry viruses that could cause encephalitis. They're common in
many parts of the U.S. and breed in places like tire dumps.
So what's unique about West Nile? Not much, according to Dr.
Raoult Ratard of the Louisiana Department of Health. He says
that, as it affects humans, West Nile is almost
indistinguishable from the St. Louis virus, which has been in
the U.S. since 1933. Dr. Ratard says that there's no
difference between the two viruses regarding their symptoms or
rates of infection. Less than 1% of persons infected with the
West Nile or St. Louis virus will develop severe illness. On
average, St. Louis causes 128 people to be hospitalized every
year, although in 1964 that figure went as high as 4,478
cases. In fact, the mortality rate for the St. Louis virus is
said to be slightly higher than that for West Nile.
The St. Louis virus is considered a "permanent resident" of
Florida, according to the University of Florida's
Cooperative Extension Service. On their website the
Extension Service even questions the effectiveness of
spraying pesticides, noting that by the time an outbreak has
occurred it's already too late.
Now that's interesting. Florida is a breeding ground for the
St. Louis virus and filled to the gills with the elderly, yet
only one person has been infected with West Nile according to
the CDC, while Louisiana has 205, Mississippi 91, and Illinois
79. Could Florida residents have developed a resistance to
both St. Louis and West Nile virus? Or to mosquitoes in
general? Or is something else going on?
I've been very curious about the alleged victims of West Nile.
So I called the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for more
information.
Incredibly, the CDC press office claims that they don't have
information on the exact ages or medical conditions of the
alleged fatalities of West Nile, and only the 'mean' age for
cases of infection - 51 years old. And that doesn't really
jive with press reports that describe victims of infection or
fatalities as usually over 70 years of age. The CDC says that
reporters have managed to get some details on the victims, but
not from the CDC.
Call me dumb, but not stupid. How did the CDC get the mean age
of those who got infected if they don't have the individual
ages? There aren't enough cases of West Nile in many states to
establish their own mean. How can the CDC make policy and
state funding decisions for West Nile if they don't have the
basic facts on its so-called victims? How can they inform,
alert, and alarm the public if they're operating in an
information vacuum?
CDC press office told me that I would have to contact the
individual state public health agencies for more information.
So I called Louisiana and New York, but no luck. They also
were not releasing the information I sought.
It seems I'm not alone in my failure. According to the No
Spray Coalition, New York City claimed 7 fatalities to West
Nile in 1999, "Yet to date none of the names or medical
histories of the deceased have been released... Independent
research indicates that all 7 were over 75, one had a serious
heart condition, two had cancer (and heavy chemotherapy), and
all had bad immune systems. No death was histologically
connected with WNV as the cause of death."
Why not release victim information? Could it be that if the
public were to understand that the so-called victims really
had serious underlying medical conditions, that it would put
an end to the panic and an end to the pesticide spraying? I
doubt anyone sprays pesticides for West Nile in Europe,
Africa, Western Asia, or the Middle East where it's common.
Pardon me for being suspicious, but in my mind it's not
surprising that states like Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Illinois are claiming some of the highest rates for West Nile.
They've had a long love affair with the chemical industry.
That cozy relationship could contribute to the high number of
victims in any number of troubling ways.
West Nile is a virus that we will learn to live with and
should refuse to get excited about. What's alarming is a
pesticide industry that does more harm than good, a public
health service that withholds the facts, and a press corps
that seems incapable of asking the tough questions.
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0902-08.htm
What to do about West Nile? Don't do anything. It has the
smell of a manufactured crisis. The news on West Nile is a
disturbing combination of hype, confusion, distortion, and
omission. Take a look at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
website for, "West Nile Virus Update - Current Case Count,"
and you'll see a startling variation in the incidence of West
Nile infections and fatalities from state to state - and even
within the same region. It makes me wonder.
On a daily basis TV reporters raise the alarm and breathlessly
announce new cases of West Nile, but it's hard to tell if
they're talking about fatalities or infections.
We're told that both children and the elderly are most at
risk, when in fact children are the least at risk for the
disease, according to the CDC, but most at risk for the toxic
effects of pesticides and mosquito repellents.
Both the CDC and state public health agencies give out general
information about the number of victims, but not specific data
on individual victims that may shed light on the medical
reality of this so-called crisis.
The virus is characterized as new and dangerous, when it's not
significantly different from viruses that have been in the
United States for decades.
West Nile may be a nasty experience for a very few, fatal for
an exceedingly rare number, but as diseases go...it's no big
deal. There are about 40 different types of mosquitoes that
carry viruses that could cause encephalitis. They're common in
many parts of the U.S. and breed in places like tire dumps.
So what's unique about West Nile? Not much, according to Dr.
Raoult Ratard of the Louisiana Department of Health. He says
that, as it affects humans, West Nile is almost
indistinguishable from the St. Louis virus, which has been in
the U.S. since 1933. Dr. Ratard says that there's no
difference between the two viruses regarding their symptoms or
rates of infection. Less than 1% of persons infected with the
West Nile or St. Louis virus will develop severe illness. On
average, St. Louis causes 128 people to be hospitalized every
year, although in 1964 that figure went as high as 4,478
cases. In fact, the mortality rate for the St. Louis virus is
said to be slightly higher than that for West Nile.
The St. Louis virus is considered a "permanent resident" of
Florida, according to the University of Florida's
Cooperative Extension Service. On their website the
Extension Service even questions the effectiveness of
spraying pesticides, noting that by the time an outbreak has
occurred it's already too late.
Now that's interesting. Florida is a breeding ground for the
St. Louis virus and filled to the gills with the elderly, yet
only one person has been infected with West Nile according to
the CDC, while Louisiana has 205, Mississippi 91, and Illinois
79. Could Florida residents have developed a resistance to
both St. Louis and West Nile virus? Or to mosquitoes in
general? Or is something else going on?
I've been very curious about the alleged victims of West Nile.
So I called the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for more
information.
Incredibly, the CDC press office claims that they don't have
information on the exact ages or medical conditions of the
alleged fatalities of West Nile, and only the 'mean' age for
cases of infection - 51 years old. And that doesn't really
jive with press reports that describe victims of infection or
fatalities as usually over 70 years of age. The CDC says that
reporters have managed to get some details on the victims, but
not from the CDC.
Call me dumb, but not stupid. How did the CDC get the mean age
of those who got infected if they don't have the individual
ages? There aren't enough cases of West Nile in many states to
establish their own mean. How can the CDC make policy and
state funding decisions for West Nile if they don't have the
basic facts on its so-called victims? How can they inform,
alert, and alarm the public if they're operating in an
information vacuum?
CDC press office told me that I would have to contact the
individual state public health agencies for more information.
So I called Louisiana and New York, but no luck. They also
were not releasing the information I sought.
It seems I'm not alone in my failure. According to the No
Spray Coalition, New York City claimed 7 fatalities to West
Nile in 1999, "Yet to date none of the names or medical
histories of the deceased have been released... Independent
research indicates that all 7 were over 75, one had a serious
heart condition, two had cancer (and heavy chemotherapy), and
all had bad immune systems. No death was histologically
connected with WNV as the cause of death."
Why not release victim information? Could it be that if the
public were to understand that the so-called victims really
had serious underlying medical conditions, that it would put
an end to the panic and an end to the pesticide spraying? I
doubt anyone sprays pesticides for West Nile in Europe,
Africa, Western Asia, or the Middle East where it's common.
Pardon me for being suspicious, but in my mind it's not
surprising that states like Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Illinois are claiming some of the highest rates for West Nile.
They've had a long love affair with the chemical industry.
That cozy relationship could contribute to the high number of
victims in any number of troubling ways.
West Nile is a virus that we will learn to live with and
should refuse to get excited about. What's alarming is a
pesticide industry that does more harm than good, a public
health service that withholds the facts, and a press corps
that seems incapable of asking the tough questions.
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0902-08.htm