Last updated 26.02.00 Click here to get your free MedServ E-mail account. The virus is spread to humans from mosquitoes but scientists say ticks hibernate and will not be wiped out by the extensive aerial spraying of pesticides this fall in the New York City area.
Birds spread the encephalitis virus and mosquitoes spread the disease to humans.
However, ticks can also harbor the virus and birds may spread the ticks as they migrate south. It seems this virus is a lot easier to introduce to different habitats through infected ticks. More than 700 dead birds are being examined to determine if they died from the West Nile virus. Four people in New York City have died from the virus and more than 200 others are suspected of having contracted the disease. Originally diagnosed as St. Louis encephalitis the similar African strain has never before been found in the Western Hemisphere.