Low-income neighborhoods are more prone to West Nile Virus (WNV) according to a new study. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded the research examining links between economic conditions and the disease.
Responsible for population declines in various bird species, in addition to flu-like symptoms, and occasionally fatalities in humans, the mosquito transmitted WNV emerged in the United States in 1999. Since then the disease has cost millions to control, and according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 100,000 people may be exposed to WNV annually.
Researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles and the Orange County Vector Control District found that lower-income communities experience both a higher prevalence of WNV in mosquitoes, and a higher incidence of human disease.
“Emerging infectious diseases can have devastating impacts on human health,” said Paul T. Anastas, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development in a press release. “The results of this research emphasize the need to investigate economic factors in disease transmission and underscore our efforts to prevent infectious disease by increasing protection for high-risk communities.”
Findings from this latest study appear to support conclusions drawn from a six-year Emory University analysis published in June. The Emory study tracked cases of WNV in Georgia from 2001 to 2007, revealing that people living near creeks with sewage overflows in lower-income neighborhoods of Southeast Atlanta had a seven times higher risk for WNV than the rest of the city.
“The infection rate for mosquitoes, birds, and humans is strongly associated with their proximity to a creek impacted by sewage,” said Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, an Emory disease ecologist in a statement for the study he led. “And if the creek is in a low-income neighborhood, we found that the entire cycle of infection is even higher.”
Results from the more recent research have prompted vector control agencies to increase their focus in identifying abandoned swimming pools and standing water sources, including storm and waste water drainage infrastructure. This effort has resulted in an additional 1,200 abandoned swimming pools identified in Orange County as suitable for treatment. It may also alert health care providers to areas of higher WNV incidence, accelerating diagnosis of the disease.
Scientists say that future research will focus on the biological mechanisms of WNV transmission at identified hotspots, in addition to the effects that neighboring communities might have on the prevalence of WNV in a given area.
Responsible for population declines in various bird species, in addition to flu-like symptoms, and occasionally fatalities in humans, the mosquito transmitted WNV emerged in the United States in 1999. Since then the disease has cost millions to control, and according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 100,000 people may be exposed to WNV annually.
Researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles and the Orange County Vector Control District found that lower-income communities experience both a higher prevalence of WNV in mosquitoes, and a higher incidence of human disease.
“Emerging infectious diseases can have devastating impacts on human health,” said Paul T. Anastas, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development in a press release. “The results of this research emphasize the need to investigate economic factors in disease transmission and underscore our efforts to prevent infectious disease by increasing protection for high-risk communities.”
Findings from this latest study appear to support conclusions drawn from a six-year Emory University analysis published in June. The Emory study tracked cases of WNV in Georgia from 2001 to 2007, revealing that people living near creeks with sewage overflows in lower-income neighborhoods of Southeast Atlanta had a seven times higher risk for WNV than the rest of the city.
“The infection rate for mosquitoes, birds, and humans is strongly associated with their proximity to a creek impacted by sewage,” said Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, an Emory disease ecologist in a statement for the study he led. “And if the creek is in a low-income neighborhood, we found that the entire cycle of infection is even higher.”
Results from the more recent research have prompted vector control agencies to increase their focus in identifying abandoned swimming pools and standing water sources, including storm and waste water drainage infrastructure. This effort has resulted in an additional 1,200 abandoned swimming pools identified in Orange County as suitable for treatment. It may also alert health care providers to areas of higher WNV incidence, accelerating diagnosis of the disease.
Scientists say that future research will focus on the biological mechanisms of WNV transmission at identified hotspots, in addition to the effects that neighboring communities might have on the prevalence of WNV in a given area.
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