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CNN Live Today
Questions Answered About West Nile Virus
Aired August 07, 2002 - 13:28 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: As we mentioned, Illinois is reporting its first human case of West Nile Virus.
Dr. John Lumpkin from the Illinois Public Health Department joins us once again to answer your e-mail questions, and we have a number of them, Dr. Lumpkin. Can we get right to it?
DR. JOHN LUMPKIN, ILLINOIS, DEPT. OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Sure.
PHILLIPS: OK, here we go, Lloyd Kay (ph) wants to know, "We river folks would like to know what chemical to spray and fog to help get rid of some of those mosquitoes."
LUMPKIN: Well, each locality has a different perspective in their mosquito abatement districts that do make a recommendation. So I would check with your local environmental protection agency or your local pest control agency.
PHILLIPS: Is there any kind of -- could we call our local pest control folks that come and spray for regular bugs every few months?
LUMPKIN: Well, it depends on where you live. If you live in a community that's incorporated, many of them have mosquito-abatement districts that have equipment. The problem is spraying only kills the adults for a couple of days. What happens is you have to treat the water to eliminate the larvae. Now the larvae, in that process of eliminating the larvae, called "larvaciding", is actually more environmentally friendly than doing the spraying.
PHILLIPS: Is it something we can do on our own, or in this case, is it very important to contact a legitimate company.
LUMPKIN: It is important to contact a legitimate company. You are dealing with very powerful chemicals, and what you have to do is spray them in what's called a low-dose method, and that requires specialized equipment.
PHILLIPS: OK. Brian from Canada wants it know, "What are some of the treatments for West Nile Virus if you are infected?"
LUMPKIN: Well, West Nile Virus, again is really a relatively mild disease in the vast majority of cases. Only one out of 200 cases of West Nile will go on to inflammation of the brain and swelling called encephalitis. West Nile Virus has no known treatment. What we do is we treat people for the symptoms, try to keep them alive while the body marshals its resources and fights it off itself.
PHILLIPS: And it's not a bacteria, so you can't use antibiotics, right?
LUMPKIN: That's correct, it is a virus, and there is no known treatment for it as of today.
PHILLIPS: All right, Karen wants to know, "I would like to know if it is a specific species of mosquito that carries virus, or if it doesn't matter."
LUMPKIN: Well, the most common mosquito that carries is it the culex (ph) species of mosquito, known as common house mosquito. These mosquitoes hatch within containers of stagnant water, flower pots, and all those kinds of things around the home, and generally will only fly about a mile or so away from where they hatch. So these kinds of mosquitoes, the house mosquitoes, are the ones that are most likely to carry West Nile.
PHILLIPS: All right, Dr. Lumpkin, one more here. Joe Van G. (ph) from Austin, Texas: "While the death toll is significant, the fact remains that nine out of 10 people contracting West Nile Virus suffer flu-like symptoms and recover. Does the body manufacture antibodies against it?
LUMPKIN: Absolutely. That's the way the body fights it off. Once you are exposed to it, it really becomes a race, a race between the body's natural defenses, the antibodies that are produced, and the virus, replicating in the cells and trying to fight it. In the vast majority of the cases, the body wins. However, people who may be older or have altered immune systems, the body isn't quite as successful, and those are the rare cases where you see very severe illness.
PHILLIPS: I think you answered this question from Jose if Brooklyn, New York. He says, "Is it true that the West Nile Virus is only seriously lethal to the very young (like children) and the elderly?"
LUMPKIN: Well, generally, or someone who may have, because of cancer, chemotherapy or HIV, an immune system that isn't quite up to the battle.
PHILLIPS: All right, Dr. John Lumpkin from Illinois Public Health Department, thank you so much for answering some e-mail questions for us. We will be talking again.
LUMPKIN: It's a pleasure, any time.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, doctor.
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