CAMPAIGNS

Reducing Pesticide Use for Mosquito Control / West Nile Virus

The discovery of West Nile Virus (WNV) in the United States in 1999 has put a great deal of focus on the issues of mosquito-borne illnesses and the use of chemical pesticides for mosquito control. CCE has monitored the virus since its discovery, and it has done a great deal of research on the nature of WNV and its effects on public health. CCE continues to monitor new developments and the latest information from public health agencies regarding the virus.

CCE has, for years, advocated for the reduction and elimination of chemical pesticides. Since the first reports of aerial and truck spraying of chemicals such as Scourge, Anvil, Permethrin and Malathion for WNV mosquito control, CCE has worked to better educate members of the public about the use of chemicals for all mosquito control activities.

WNV is here to stay. West Nile Virus (WNV) was first identified in 1937 in Uganda, Africa. In the late 1990s it spread to Eastern Europe and then, in 1999, WNV was diagnosed for the first time in the Western Hemisphere in Queens, NY. Since then, WNV has swept across the United States and 5 Canadian provinces. This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are predicting that WNV will spread to all 50 states.

WNV infected 8,567 humans in the U.S. during the 2003. 199 of these infections led to fatalities. New York reported 71 cases of WNV and had 10 deaths, while Connecticut reported 17 cases and no deaths.

WNV infection is caused by a virus called a flavivirus. It is carried by birds and is mainly spread to humans by mosquitoes. Approximately 80% of humans exposed to the virus remain symptom free and 20% develop flu like symptoms. Of those infected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 1 in 150 develop West Nile Encephalitis or meningitis.

US researchers have identified 36 species of mosquito that can carry and transmit the virus to humans, although 3 species of Culex mosquito seem to be responsible for most US cases. According to the US Department of Agriculture Pest Management Center, WNV is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, primarily Culex, Aedes, and Ochlerotatus spp. Culex pipiens, the northern house mosquito is a common household mosquito and the primary vector of WNV.

According to the New York State Department of Health, there were 445 infected mosquito pools found in New York in 2002. Of those, 338 were Culex species, 61 were Culex pipiens and 32 were Culex salinarius. In Conneticut, the 2002 data showed 317 infected mosquito pools where 281 were Culex pipiens.

The New York State Department of Health reported 471 infected mosquito pools found in the 2003. The Connecticut Department of Health reported 33 infected mosquito pools found for the same year.

Mosquitoes become infected after biting infected wild birds that serve as the primary host of the virus. Infected mosquitoes are capable of transmitting the virus 10 to 14 days after feeding on the infected bird.

In 2002, 21 people were infected through blood transfusions, and four became infected after receiving organ transplants from infected donors. In June 2003 it was announced that blood collection agencies would have, for the first time, a way to screen donated blood for WNV.

WNV and Animals

To date, WNV has spread to 230 types of animals including 138 species of birds and numerous horses. CCE receives many inquiries from concerned pet owners about the risk of WNV to dogs and cats. Since 1999, the CDC has only identified one dog and one cat death from WNV.

American crows and raptors are among the most impacted bird species from WNV. 2002 test results in New York show 1,410 birds tested positive for WNV. The American Crow comprised 1075 of the total positive birds, followed by 191 Blue Jays and 36 House Sparrows.

In 2003, 11,350 birds where reported as having WNV in the United States. Test results for New York showed 1,367 birds tested positive for WNV. Test results for Connecticut show 524 infected birds, 444 of which where crows.

Concerns about captive birds of prey appear to be substantiated by a preliminary report from the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, which confirmed that 9 of 30 dead raptors at rehabilitation projects in several states tested positive for WNV.

Horses are particularly hard hit by WNV. In 2002, 15,000 horses were sickened by WNV. Ten states, from Minnesota to Texas account for roughly two-thirds of the 15,000 total.

In 2003 there where 4,146 cases of infected horses reported throughout the United States. New York had a total of 32 reported cases, while Connecticut had 12 reported cases.

The following selections provide information about West Nile Virus, details about specific pieces of legislation on which CCE is currently working to reduce the use of chemical pesticides for mosquito control, and tips to eliminate mosquitoes around your home:

1. History of West Nile Virus & CCE Action
2. The “Last Resort” Recommendation to Use Toxic Pesticides
3. Suffolk County Environmental Impact Study
4. Suffolk County "No Spray List" Resolution
5. Tips to Eliminate Mosquitoes Around Your Home

Click here to view information on aerial spraying of Cicero Swamp, just north of Syracuse, New York

Additional Information:

Note: some of the following PDF files can only be properly viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader 5 or newer. Click here to download free.

Click here to read CCE's 2002-2006 Pesticide Report (PDF format)

Click here to download "We Need the Public's Help to Successfully Control Mosquito Populations," an ad run in Suffolk Life about the Suffolk County Vector Control program and public participation (PDF format)

Click here to download the CCE publication, "Health Effects of Pesticides Used for Mosquito Control" (PDF format)

Click here to download the CCE flyer by the same name, "Health Effects of Pesticides Used for Mosquito Control" (PDF format)

Click here to view a fact sheet on the West Nile Virus by the Safer Pest Control Project at www.spcpweb.org/wnvyc.pdf

Click here to download the front and back of the CCE tri-fold Brochure, "For Mosquito Protection...Use Prevention!":
Cover & Back Panels
Inside Panels

Click here to view comments submitted by CCE to the United States Environmental Protection Agency on the “Interim Statement and Guidance Pertaining to Pesticides Regulated Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Applied to the Waters of the United States”, October 12, 2003

Click here to view comments submitted by CCE to the Council on Environmental Quality for Suffolk County on the Draft Scope Proposed Suffolk County Vector Control and Wetlands Management Long Term Plan, and the Draft Scope for the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement, September 25, 2002

Click here to view "Lessons From Birds and West Nile Virus" - the unedited version of an op-ed piece which appeared in The Journal News, Monday, June 25, 2001, by Robert Foster, CCE Legislative Director

Click here to view comments submitted by CCE to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) on the draft New York State West Nile Virus Response Plan, March, 2001