West Nile virus surveillance in Allegheny County in 2016

Lowery, Joel (2017) West Nile virus surveillance in Allegheny County in 2016. Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.

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Abstract

Beginning with an outbreak of encephalitis in New York residents in the August of 1999, West Nile Virus has spread across the United States. Its primary vectors in Allegheny County are mosquitoes of the species Culex pipiens. Allegheny County implements the West Nile Virus Control Program, which is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. This program uses vector index, a useful indicator for the risk of human West Nile Virus disease, to inform decisions on the control of mosquito populations. The purpose of this project was to describe mosquito surveillance of West Nile Virus vectors in Allegheny County in 2016. Analysis of data from 2016 and previous years was performed to provide insight on the use of vector index to inform decisions on control measures. A total of 457 mosquito pools were processed between May and September of 2016, of which 29% tested positive for West Nile Virus. This indicated that West Nile Virus remains endemic to Allegheny County. The vector index did not consistently increase until the months of July and August, which is a pattern typical of each year. Historically, inconsistent data collection made it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions on the distribution of West Nile Virus. Due to the human population density in the greater Pittsburgh area and the proximity of an abundance of favorable mosquito habitats such as catch basins in the city, West Nile Virus remains a significant public health concern.

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Details

Item Type:	Other Thesis, Dissertation, or Long Paper (Master Essay)
Status:	Unpublished
Creators/Authors:	Creators Email Pitt Username ORCID Lowery, Joel jol74@pitt.edu JOL74
Contributors:	Contribution Contributors Name Email Pitt Username ORCID Committee Chair Martinson, Jeremy jmartins@pitt.edu UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Committee Member Mertz, Kristen Kristen.Mertz@AlleghenyCounty.US UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Committee Member Lamonte, Leah Leah.Lamonte@AlleghenyCounty.US UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
Date:	18 April 2017
Date Type:	Submission
Publisher:	University of Pittsburgh
Institution:	University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs:	School of Public Health > Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
Degree:	MPH - Master of Public Health
Thesis Type:	Master Essay
Refereed:	Yes
Date Deposited:	28 Jul 2017 17:57
Last Modified:	10 Dec 2020 02:04
URI:	http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/31356

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