Web site offers resource in wake of West Nile virus

By Jennifer Stewart
Ag Communications
September 27, 2006

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The latest human case of West Nile virus in Clinton County makes 30 in the state, according to the Indiana State Department of Health, and Purdue University entomologists have information to help people protect themselves.

Purdue's entomology department recently unveiled a Web site providing information to health officials, educators and the general public about diseases such as West Nile virus and the insects and ticks that are vectors of these diseases.

A vector is an insect, tick, rodent or arthropod capable of transmitting a disease to humans or animals.

"For example, a female mosquito can acquire West Nile virus when feeding on an infected bird and subsequently pass the virus to a human or horse," said Catherine Hill, an assistant professor of entomology.

The new Web site is timely because, despite cooler temperatures, mosquitoes are still active and West Nile remains a threat, Hill said.

"Generally, adult mosquitoes will be active until the first hard freeze, so we still need to be vigilant," she said. "Given the increase in human cases of West Nile virus, we are encouraging people to take steps to prevent being bitten by infected mosquitoes."

The Web site provides a "one-stop shop" for reliable information regarding diseases and the insects that carry them, Hill said.

The site provides information on preventing vector-borne diseases and the major groups of vectors that carry them, such as mosquitoes, ticks, lice and fleas. The site also covers bedbugs and stinging insects. It includes a glossary, diagrams and full-color pictures of important insects and ticks.

The Web site was created as a part of a public health entomology program developed at Purdue.

To determine public health needs, researchers surveyed insect control personnel, the state health department, city and county officials throughout Indiana. The purpose of the survey was to find out who would be served by a public health entomology program, what problems this clientele faced and what their needs were, said John MacDonald, an entomology program assistant.

"What we found is that these people needed information about diseases, insects, prevention and control," Hill said. "Providing public education resources became the driving force behind the Web site."

The new medical entomology program at Purdue will support the outreach effort with basic research into insect and tick vectors that threaten humans. The program features a $350,000 insectary that allows researchers to closely monitor how mosquitoes live, choose breeding sites and find hosts.

In addition, researchers are working with public health officials to monitor insect breeding sites around the state and collect insects to check for diseases, MacDonald said.

More information about vectors and vector-borne illness, public health education resources, and the medical entomology program at Purdue also is available on the Web site. Questions regarding the site should be directed to Hill at (765) 496-6157, hillca@purdue.edu, or MacDonald at (765) 494-4582, macdonaj@purdue.edu.

Writer: Jennifer Stewart, (765) 494-6682, jsstewar@purdue.edu

Sources: Catherine Hill, (765) 496-6157, hillca@purdue.edu

John MacDonald, (765) 494-4582, macdonaj@purdue.edu

Public Health and Medical Entomology <www.entm.purdue.edu/publichealth>

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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