West Nile Virus the First BioWeapon?
Lost amidst the news about the bioterror use of anthrax is the growing menace of West Nile virus and evidence it may have been the first bioweapon used by Iraq against the U.S... Read More...
West Nile Facts
-
Historic geographic range: Africa, West Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
-
Relatives: Included in the family flaviridae and classified with the Japanese encephalitis subgroup of viruses, WNV is closely related to St. Louis encephalitis virus, Kunjin virus, and Murray Valley encephalitis virus.
-
Hosts: Birds are WNV's primary host, although WNV is not normally pathogenic for birds; in contrast, humans are incidental or "dead end" hosts.
-
Transmission: Mosquitoes (principally Culex species) serve as a vector, feeding on infected birds and then transmitting the virus to people and other animals.
-
Incubation period: Approximately 5-15 days.
|
|
Background Links Database (Eng)
To combat the spread of West Nile virus... Called the "poor man's weapons... Bioterrorism and Bioweapons special report... |