SARS may currently dominate the headlines, but the Whyfiles takes another look at another fast-spreading viral disease: West Nile. West Nile has spread to 44 US states and beyond, and while it can be fatal to humans, it remains primarily a bird disease. The Whyfiles offers an in-depth exploration of West Nile in North American birds, tackling the questions "How far? How fast? What's next? Who's...

The July-August 2001 issue of the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) Emerging Infectious Diseases (see the January 10, 1997 Scout Report) is devoted to the West Nile Virus. The journal offers a large number of articles, many focused on the virus' presence in New York and the use of birds as early warning systems for the virus. The articles also cover outbreaks in Israel, detection of the virus in...

Emerging viruses are those "whose incidence in humans has increased in the past 2 decades or threatens to increase in the near future." This week's Topic in Depth focuses on sites related to viruses, particularly those that are considered "emerging." The first site (1) is an essay by Alison Jacobson of the University of Capetown that discusses some emerging and potentially emerging viruses,...

John H. Rappole and colleagues wrote this perspective article (for Emerging Infectious Diseases) on the potential implications of the spread of West Nile Virus by migrating birds. Although ornithophilic mosquitoes are the principal vectors of West Nile virus (in the Old World), several species of birds (mainly migrants) appear to be important introductory or amplifying hosts. Patterns of virus...

The West Nile Virus, a mosquito-borne virus that causes encephalitis in vertebrates, was only found in the Eastern Hemisphere until 1999, when it was isolated in the northeastern United States. Seven deaths and several cases of severe illness caused by the virus have raised concern for public safety in the region. Recently, a special West Nile virus surveillance program has been funded in...