Researchers make connection between foreclosures and West Nile prevalence
Davis, Calif. -- The economic crisis is far-reaching, that we already know. But a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) School of Veterinary Medicine has identified another effect of a bad economy and dismal housing market - a higher rate of West Nile cases.
Davis, Calif.
-- The economic crisis is far-reaching, that we already know. But a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) School of Veterinary Medicine has identified another effect of a bad economy and dismal housing market - a higher rate of West Nile cases.
UC Davis scientists and researchers from Kern County, Calif., found that when mortgage foreclosures rose 300 percent in Bakersfield over 2007, the number West Nile virus cases also rose - by 275 percent.
The culprit, according to researchers, was the number of untended pools at those foreclosed homes that, along with the warm California climate, turned into an ideal breeding ground for the mosquitoes that help spread the virus.
This year, through strict monitoring, the county has been able to decrease the prevalence of the virus and no human cases have yet to be reported for 2008.
The entire study can be viewed here.
