| West Nile virus officially an emergency in New Jersey http://interestalert.com/brand/siteia.shtml?Story=storage/remote_n/11010002aaa 07354.nand&Sys=v2o&Filter=Late%20Breaking&Fid=LATEBRKN WASHINGTON (November 1, 2000 8:45 p.m. EST ) - President Clinton declared Wednesday that an emergency exists in New Jersey and ordered federal aid for the area affected since Aug. 5 by the West Nile virus. The president's action authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide up to $5 million to local governments to help protect life, property and public health and safety in 21 counties. The counties covered by the declaration are: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. The virus, transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, has been detected in birds in several states, including Maryland, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. It can cause encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, as well as meningitis, the swelling of the lining of t! he brain and spinal cord. Last year, seven people died and 55 others were infected in the New York metropolitan area during the first known appearance of the virus in the Western Hemisphere. Its first victim this year was an 82-year-old from New Jersey. |
