The West Nile virus Infectious diseases are creeping in from
abroad IN 1999 crows in New York started dying in unusual
numbers. But it took weeks of further clues, including the
deaths of two flamingos and a cormorant at the Bronx Zoo, for
officials to find the culprit. The West Nile virus had invaded
New York. It was the first time the virus had been recorded in
the Western hemisphere. Since then, West Nile has reappeared
each summer. As of August 29th cases were up 40% from a week
earlier, reaching 1,590, with 66 deaths. Mosquitoes contract the
virus when they bite infected birds. Then, with their typical
generosity, they give the virus to humans. Eighty per cent show
no symptoms. The rest may get a fever, nausea or a rash. About
one in 150, however, will develop a serious illness, such as
inflammation of the brain. This year’s outbreak is notable
mainly for its scale, and the apprehension that future years
will unleash equal havoc. Nearly half of the cases have been in
Texas, no stranger to vaguely biblica