Keeping all angles in mind

I continue to find myself contemplating pesticide spraying for mitigation of the spread of West Nile virus. My post yesterday mentioned some of the criticism against the idea, but generally leaned in favor, I think. I'll confess, that's where I find myself. Most of the information I found from the health departments, CDC, and other government agencies seem generally in favor of a spraying program, particularly when the spread of disease has reached the extent that it has in north Texas. But, I think it's important to hear from both sides. 

So, today, I have focused on discenting views. This paper, regarding pesticide spraying in Maine, raises serious concerns about the risk-benefit of chemical control measures. It is important to note that this is dated 2001, over a decade ago. It is specific to Maine and the New England economy, but many of those items can be adapted to Southern environments. Perhaps the paper's greatest strength is its discussion of non-chemical control measures and the FAQ.

 The dated-ness does raise some concern for me. The paper describes the threat the virus poses uses the "epidemic" information available at the time - the 1999 NYC outbreak. Comparing the number of cases there to the population of the area, 10 million, leads to the conclusion that only a few will face real exposure. The 2011 census for the DFW metroplex is about 6.5 million, but already the number of reported cases exceed that of the NYC outbreak. (Per the paper NYC had 68 reported cases and 7 deaths, both of which have been exceeded in Dallas County alone, to date.). So the incidence rate of this outbreak is much greater than that of 1999. The 1996 Romanian outbreak, also referenced, may be a better model. Another important distinction is the proportion of West Nile fever versus encephalitis.

(Look for edits here!)

As for myself, my neighborhood is getting aerial spray this evening. We brought in uor clothesline, orange tree, and potted herbs, and covered sensitive, producing plants in our garden. We left the tomato plants alone, since there's a month before they'll produce again, and the watermelon, since pesticides don't penetrate the rind. And yep, we put on bug spray before we headed out there.