-Caveat Lector- Fifth Death Linked to West Nile Virus Reported ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- By Grant McCool NEW YORK, Oct 01 (Reuters) - Health authorities on Wednesday reported another death in New York caused by a mosquito-borne encephalitic virus never before diagnosed in the Western hemisphere, boosting the death toll to five. New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Neal Cohen told a news conference that scientists had confirmed that the West Nile virus caused the death of a 79-year-old woman in New York City on September 11. Four people are now confirmed to have died in New York City and a fifth in Westchester County north of the city. Cohen said that he had no information about a reported death in Toronto, where health officials said that a man who had visited New York earlier this month died Saturday, possibly from the disease. In Atlanta, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the virus had also infected birds and mosquitoes in Connecticut. Scientists have not been able to explain how the West Nile virus reached the United States. As reported on Reuters Health, the outbreak, previously believed to be St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE), came to the attention of New York City health officials in August and prompted authorities to spray the entire city with insecticide in early September in an attempt to kill off mosquitoes. The CDC said that it would spearhead a door-to-door study this weekend in the borough of Queens, where the majority of cases have been diagnosed, to find out more about how the virus took hold. "Blood samples will be tested for antibodies to the virus," Dr. Ned Hayes, a CDC epidemiologist and coordinator of the study, said at the news conference. "We hope to get a better understanding of the symptoms of West Nile virus, as well as possible risk factors for infection." Cohen said that 31 cases of the virus had been confirmed in New York, up from 25 two days ago. He noted that 6 individuals were still hospitalized. Health officials said that the CDC was testing more than 1,000 dead birds, mostly crows, from New York and surrounding states to determine the extent of disease transmission. In New Jersey, health officials said that that they had established surveillance programs for mosquitoes in all counties. Health officials in the state's most populated county, Bergen County, with 860,000 people, said that they had sent two or three dozen dead crows to the CDC for testing for the West Nile virus. "We have been on an extra heightened alert because of our close proximity to New York," said Thomas Breslin, spokesman for New Jersey Department of Health. "The focus now is on West Nile virus, but there have been no cases found yet in the human population of New Jersey." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
