West Nile is a virus that can cause encephalitis (inflamation of the brain) or meningitis (inflamation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord.) It is spread to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. Following transmission by an infected mosquito, West Nile virus multiplies in the person's blood system and crosses the blood-brain barrier to reach the brain. The virus interferes with normal central nervous system functioning and causes inflammation of brain tissue. It is not known from where the U.S. virus originated, but it is most closely related genetically to strains found in the Middle East.
Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds, which may circulate the virus in their blood for a few days. After an incubation period of 10 days to 2 weeks, infected mosquitoes can then transmit West Nile virus to humans and animals while biting to take blood. The virus is located in the mosquito's salivary glands. During blood feeding, the virus is then injected into the animal or human, where it then multiplies and may cause illness.
Most people who are infected with West Nile virus experience mild illness such as a fever, headache and body aches before fully recovering. Some persons also develop a mild rash or swollen lymph glands. In some individuals West Nile virus can cause serious disease that affects brain tissue. At its most serious, it can cause permanent neurological damage and can be fatal. Symptoms of encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) include the rapid onset of severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, confusion, loss of consciousness (coma), or muscle weakness, and may be fatal. All residents of areas where virus activity has been identified are at risk of getting West Nile encephalitis; persons older than 50 years have the highest risk of severe disease.
In 1999, 62 cases, including 7 deaths, occurred in the New York area. In 2000, 21 cases were reported, including 2 deaths in the New York City area. In 2001 at least 56 people from 10 states in the US have been identified WNV-positive, at least 8 of whom have died. Fatalities include a: 71-year-old woman from Atlanta, Georgia (Aug 17); 45-year-old man from Carteret, New Jersey (Oct 4); 70-year-old from Woburn, Massachusetts and a woman in her nineties from New Haven, Connecticut (both in mid-October); 44-year-old man in Alabama (Oct 30); 71-year-old woman from East Meadow in Nassau County, NY (Oct 26); 77-year-old man from the same community in Nassau County (Nov 22). In early Sept, a 62-year-old Maryland woman infected with WNV died from other causes.
The lepidoptera of Florida has been devastated by these sprayings - and at least one species - the Miami Blue is "almost" extinct.
One person's butterfly is another's reptile:
The gopher tortoise in currently considered a threatened species and is protected everywhere except Florida. While not yet on the Endangered Species list, the gopher tortoise's numbers are growing scarce. The greatest threat to the survival of the gopher tortoise is habitat destruction. Tortoises can not live if they do not have undeveloped land with plenty of food and room to dig their burrows. Another less obvious threat that is related to development is land fragmentation. Buildings, roads, borrow pits, landfills, parking lots, and all other kinds of facilities break the natural habitat into pieces, resulting in fewer large parcels of land. It is difficult for a tortoise to go about its business without coming into contact with humans, or worse yet, their automobiles. Road mortality is believed to be one of the greatest causes of adult tortoise deaths. Habitat destruction, habitat degradation, and human predation have reduced the original number of tortoises by an estimated 80% over the last 100 years. Maybe we should ban driving?
So, sorry, if you want to have horses - you gotta pay the price and not expect the government to come in and "kill everything" in an effort to protect your pets. It is the price of having horses.
Although I'm sure some are pets (lawn ornaments), horses are big business here. Marion County was recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the "Horse Capital of the World" and as having more horses and ponies than any other county in the nation. Between 45 and 50 different breeds are represented in the area. Nearly 29,000 residents are employed in the county’s Thoroughbred industry alone. More than three-quarters of Florida’s 600 Thoroughbred breeding and training facilities are located in the area. The county is one of only four major Thoroughbred centers in the world, and is equal to Lexington, Kentucky; Newmarket, England; and Chantilly, France. In addition, more than 200 farms and training centers are devoted to breeding, training and showing other breeds such as the Paso Fino, Arabian, Morgan, miniature horse, quarter horse, hunter/jumper, the gentle giants, draft horses, and a newly registered breed, the Gypsy Vanner.