The first evidence of the West Nile Virus in Knoxville was found in two crows in northeast Knox County.
In Sept. 2001, the virus was initially found in Shelby County and then in Greene, Humphreys and Rutherford counties.
Furthermore, the University of Tennessee was home to two horses with the virus. So far, no human cases of West Nile Virus have been detected in East Tennessee.
“We fully expected to find West Nile Virus in Knoxville this spring or summer because it had been confirmed as close as Jefferson County in July in a horse,” Edmond L. Bolt, director of the Knox County Health Department, said. “Our main focus now is to continue reminding our community members to take the necessary precautions to reduce the threat of being bitten by mosquitoes.”
Some of these precautions include: limiting outdoor activities, wearing protective clothing outside, using mosquito repellent, keeping windows and doors closed, as well as emptying bird baths, children’s swimming pools and other structures that collect water.
Now that the virus has made its way here, Knox County Health Department officials plan to conduct checks for mosquito breeding grounds and spray regularly in the neighborhoods near where the crows were found.
Dr. Gary Swinger, coordinator of the West Nile Virus Surveillance Program for the Tennessee Department of Health, said that the virus must be in favorable environmental conditions for at least six weeks before it will cause any risk to humans.
“Even in areas where mosquitoes are carrying the virus, the risk to humans is still quite low,” Swinger said. “Most people who are infected with West Nile Virus do not get sick – less than one percent of people who get bitten and become infected will get severely ill.”
A key factor in locating the virus is a surveillance of dead birds, with the most attention being paid to blue jays and crows, who are highly sensitive to the virus.
While some in the Knoxville community wait to see where the virus will strike next, students are less concerned.
“I’m not afraid of getting West Nile Virus,” Belinda Myers, a junior in microbiology, said. “I think people are blowing it way out of proportion. They’re worried about getting something that practically no one has.”
