Costs of combatting West Nile virus rising in the Ozarks

Costs associated with the West Nile virus are rising. From animal vaccines to the sale of human protection products to the toll taken in lives, the impact of this mosquito-borne virus is climbing.

As of Aug. 28, there were 480 reported cases of the virus affecting humans this year, resulting in 24 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control's Web site at www.cdc.gov.

A busy summer

Harold Bengsch, director of public health for Springfield-Greene County, said his department's expenses June-August will run about $11,000 for its bird and human surveillance program, as well as its mosquito-trapping efforts. Handling mosquito-related citizen complaints or educational training is not included in this figure, he added.

The department is preparing to do local lab testing for the virus, Bengsch said. "We think we can work that into our ongoing environmental workload ... without adding additional personnel cost to this."

Viral arrival

The West Nile virus's first Greene County victim was a 3-year-old quarter horse, said Dr. Kevin Carmichael, a veterinarian with offices in Billings and Crane. It died Aug. 24, eight days after being diagnosed with the disease. Its high fever, central nervous system problems and overall weakness were confirmed as virus-related by a diagnostic lab study at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

The horse died in its prime, Carmichael said. Beyond the emotional attachment owners have for their horses, the financial loss is substantial. "All kinds of economics are involved" in feeding, vaccinations, breeding fees and training expenses, he said.

Lacey McDaniel, office manager for Equine Clinic LLC, said there has been an "enormous response" from horse owners requesting the vaccine. Since August 2001, they have probably sold 1,200 doses with 500 to 600 of those sold in the last 30 days. She attributed this increased interest to the virus diagnoses in Laclede and, most recently, Greene counties.

McDaniel added that horse tetanus and flu vaccinations also have increased as a result of the horse owners' concerns. She said the vaccine could also be used on similar species like donkeys and mules.

Equine vaccine

Karla Grimm held off as long as she could before vaccinating the 25 horses on her Lawrence County farm known as Fast Pace. "The closer (West Nile virus) got, I decided I better do it because even though it does cost, the cost of one horse, if you lost it, would be so much more."

At $20 a shot, the two-shot vaccine series will run her $1,000.

Horses are ready for sale between two to three years of age and sell for $1,500 to $2,000, Grimm said. To protect her investment she will include the West Nile vaccine regimen in her horses' annual inoculation schedule.

Vaccinated immunity is not really long-lived until the animal gets the follow-up booster in three to four weeks, Carmichael said. After that, it should be protected for about a year, he added.

Bugs begone products brisk

Though no human cases have been reported in southwest Missouri, sales of personal sprays and backyard foggers to combat mosquitoes are brisk, said Valda Aguero, department manager of the Home Depot's garden center.

Marcia Dunn, department manager of outside gardens for Lowe's, confirmed the increased sale of mosquito-related products. She said sales of mosquito dunks, which are floating devices for small home ponds, were up as well.

Sales of the garden chemicals Permectrin, Malathion, Diazinon and Pyrethrins have risen by one-third to one-half in the last 60 days, said Bill Roy, an employee in animal health sales at Race Brothers Farm Supply.

None of the companies provided specific figures as to sales increases.

Beware calm waters

Standing, stagnant water is the hands-down choice of egg-laying mosquitoes, said Clay Goddard, environmental/community health planner for the Springfield-Greene County Department of Public Health. While turbid farm ponds are obvious culprits, other waters will do.

Anything from a septic tank leak to an unattended birdbath can launch the next round of tiny injectors. It can be "something very benign like a clogged gutter where water pools up" that can be the problem, Goddard said. On one inspection, the unlikely breeding ground was a bucket of unchanged water where a woman had tree starts in her backyard, he added.

Moving waters, and especially those containing fish, are unsuitable to birthing mosquitoes, said Scott Zimmerman, president of Aquatico. Using a skimmer, which cleans the surface of the water, and having a waterfall or fountain will eliminate the calm conditions mosquitoes need to lay their eggs in home ponds, he said.