His enemies number in the billions around the globe and are a swift and elusive opponent. But his job is to seek them out where they live and, in the process, protect a menagerie of exotic animals.
Federal health authorities said Tuesday they have diagnosed the first human case of illness caused by the West Nile virus this year in the United States.
It's probably faster to list where the West Nile virus isn't than where it is. The mosquito-borne malady has nearly circled the globe since its 1937 discovery in Africa. North America is one of its latest conquests.
An intricate microbial dance between mosquitoes and birds plays a key role in the spread of the West Nile virus, as well as its transmission to humans, pets and wildlife, experts say.
News about West Nile virus often grabs the headlines, but comparing the disease to other mosquito-borne illnesses is like comparing the insect to an elephant.
Leona Thrower felt exhausted, but she blamed it on recent travel. Then came the nausea. Four days later, the 67-year-old lay comatose in intensive care, battling encephalitis caused by West Nile virus.
The pace of this year's epidemic of West Nile virus infection in humans appears to be outstripping last year's, with Arizona home to the largest number of cases, according to recent federal figures.
With summer waiting around the corner and mosquitoes beginning to buzz, the United States is poised for a third epidemic year of West Nile virus, experts warn.
His enemies number in the billions around the globe and are a swift and elusive opponent. But his job is to seek them out where they live and, in the process, protect a menagerie of exotic animals.
Federal health authorities said Tuesday they have diagnosed the first human case of illness caused by the West Nile virus this year in the United States.
It's probably faster to list where the West Nile virus isn't than where it is. The mosquito-borne malady has nearly circled the globe since its 1937 discovery in Africa. North America is one of its latest conquests.
An intricate microbial dance between mosquitoes and birds plays a key role in the spread of the West Nile virus, as well as its transmission to humans, pets and wildlife, experts say.
News about West Nile virus often grabs the headlines, but comparing the disease to other mosquito-borne illnesses is like comparing the insect to an elephant.
Leona Thrower felt exhausted, but she blamed it on recent travel. Then came the nausea. Four days later, the 67-year-old lay comatose in intensive care, battling encephalitis caused by West Nile virus.
The pace of this year's epidemic of West Nile virus infection in humans appears to be outstripping last year's, with Arizona home to the largest number of cases, according to recent federal figures.
With summer waiting around the corner and mosquitoes beginning to buzz, the United States is poised for a third epidemic year of West Nile virus, experts warn.
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