West Nile-Like Virus Found in N.J.
By THOMAS MARTELLO
12:53 PM ET 10/05/99
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Four dead crows found in New Jersey tested positive for the
West Nile-like virus believed responsible for the deaths of at least five people in the
New York City metropolitan area. The state health department said Monday this is the first
time the virus has been identified in New Jersey. The crows were found in Bergen, Essex,
Middlesex and Union counties in the northern part of the state.
The virus is believed to be transmitted by mosquitoes that bit infected birds.
New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut have been spraying pesticides to
kill as many mosquitoes as possible before the first winter chills. Scientists are also
concerned the virus will move south as birds migrate this fall.
There have been five confirmed deaths and several dozen cases of infection in
the New York City area.
New Jersey Health Commissioner Christine Grant said residents should take
precautions against mosquito bites but should not be ``unduly concerned'' by the test
results. There have been no reports of New Jersey residents being infected with the virus.
``We have no reason to think that in fact we will see cases in New Jersey residents,''
Grant said. ``Diseases like this can have a hot spot, a fairly localized outbreak.''
The U.S. Centers for Disease and Control Prevention have classified the ailment
as a West Nile-like fever, a virus never before seen in the Western Hemisphere. It is
called West Nile-''like'' because scientists have not yet identified it with certainty.
Health officials initially thought the virus was the more dangerous St. Louis
encephalitis. Symptoms of both - fever and headache - are similar, but are generally
milder with the West Nile virus. In rare cases, the virus can cause neurological disorders
and death.
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