Ridecamp: Re: [RC] WNV Vaccine--was--Pigeon Disease!

I don't know how much faith I'd put in the map. One vet here (FL) last Oct
told me that the labs were so backlogged ( we're talking months here now
days) that some vets weren't even sending blood in for bloodwork since by
the time it got back to them it was worthless in their treatment. She also
said she didn't know how long a blood sample would be good for analysis .
I do know there were cases in my area ( my vet treated two) and my area doesn't
show up on the map. So take the map with a grain of salt. 

Truman

TypeF wrote:

Thanks for this great link! My husband is hearing the "news bulletins" on the radio several times a day. This map and the info posted earlier about these being ads has helped calm him down a little. I still have a lot of reading to do, though to learn more about this.

----- Original Message -----

From:KathyZ1@xxxxxxx

To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2002 11:03 AM

Subject: [RC] WNV Vaccine--was--Pigeon Disease!

Hi Truman:
You could be right.  We all, of course, hope that you are not. 

I know that it's the birds who spread the disease over distance, that's why they're checking dead birds for infection.  In fact here's a current map that illustrates where infected birds have been found to date.
Find it here:

http://cindi.usgs.gov/hazard/event/west_nile/usa_avian_jun_17.html

There are, of course, many many bird migratory patterns that are north/south.

Florida--the entire eastern seaboard really--- was just a giant lab petri dish waiting to happen.  You have all those different species of NE birds flying south for the winter right over Florida or in some cases wintering in Florida and all those thirsty mosquitos all over Florida lying in wait. 
California's conditions are quite different (we just don't have as many skeeters as you guys do), but you're right we are most likely going to see some cases.  As many as you?  We hope not.

Are there really many birds who migrate East to West over as vast distances as North/South migrations???
I'd love to know more about this.  What birds from where to where?  Do you know?  Just to help us over here in So. Cal judge the risk.
I do know that California has a very active program to check dead birds for WNV.
I don't want to medicate my horse needlessly, but I don't want to get caught with my pants around my ankles either.
Thanks, Truman.
Kath


Truman said:

The reason they are giving for it moving so fast has more to do with bird migration than mosquito population. You do need misquitos to vector it but it is the birds that carry it. It is carried by birds and the reason it got here so fast is FL is on the east coast flyway for bird migration. There is also a big migration path birds follow over CA so I would expect it could happen there as easy as it happened here.