Day is compiling the risk prediction map by combining surveillance data from NASA, weather information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a map of North America. By applying that information to areas where the West Nile Virus has recently surfaced, the map will help researchers track when conditions are ripe for another outbreak of the disease. As soon as you see some sort of big rainfall event occur that breaks the drought, then your level of risk goes way up. Experts say sudden rains that occur after a prolonged drought allow mosquitoes to quickly spread and move into neighborhoods where their movement was previously restricted by the drought because they need water to breed. Last year, seven people died and dozens more became ill in the New York City metropolitan area after an outbreak of the West Nile Virus, a form of encephalitis never before seen in the Western Hemisphere.
Mosquitoes get the virus from infected birds and then pass it on to humans.
Dr. Deborah Asnis of Flushing Hospital Medical Center in Queens, New York identified the first cases of the West Nile Virus outbreak last year. She says being able to predict which areas are prone to outbreaks would allow public health officials to warn residents. Health officials say people can reduce their risk of getting the West Nile Virus by taking steps to prevent stagnant water from accumulating near their homes. Medscape Inc. All rights reserved. The map could help alert public-health officials about higher risks for an outbreak in time to prevent it through public education.