Vaccine Research Should Be Massachusetts Next Step

As cases WNV and EEE become more frequent in Massachusetts, the state has been pouring more and more money into preventing and treating the viruses. They have done this through creating "mosquito control projects" in nine regions of the state where they regulate pesticide spraying, enforce biological controls (placing mosquito predators in certain environments) and educate the community on how to protect themselves from contracting WNV and EEE. While all these efforts have made a positive difference concerning public health and safety, the methods Massachusetts use are not long term solutions. If the state wants to eradicate the threat of mosquitoes for good, they should be turning their attention to ongoing research on vaccines for WNV and EEE.

At the Viral Genomics and Vaccination Unit it Paris, France, a research team has been working on a vaccine for WNV. They've combined the measles vaccine with a strand of WNV to create immunity against the virus. So far, it has a hopeful success rate. The vaccine has been tested on primates and rodents, and within two weeks, many of them were immune.

Boston holds some of the greatest medical research facilities in the world. It would make sense if the Massachusetts government gave grants to places like Tufts Medical Center or Mass General Hospital to develop vaccines against both WNV and EEE. Funneling a larger portion tax money obtained for prevention of mosquito borne illnesses would be so much wiser and economically sound for long term results.

The pesticides Massachusetts are currently spraying all over the state have too high of a negative environmental impact to be worth it. Not only is it killing off honey bees in mass numbers, the extermination of mosquitoes is not something to be overlooked. Although they are the source of the problem, it is unfair to believe that their species should be wiped out completely. They play an important role in so many ecological systems and food webs. Killing thousands of them each warm weather season is severely detrimental to the environment. 

It is time Massachusetts take a proactive step in fighting this issue by focusing on a vaccine to save rather than a pesticide to kill.

What is West Nile Virus?

West Nile Virus is an arbovirus carried by female mosquitoes. Arboviruses- also known as arthropod-borne viruses- are illnesses that are transmitted through arthropods, and in most cases, insects. West Nile Virus (WNV) was first discovered in 1937 in the West Nile District of Uganda, hence it's name. A woman feverish woman was being treated for research on Yellow Fever when doctors discovered the disease.

Over the years, spread through Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Southern Asia until making it's way to North American in 1999. The American outbreak was first detected in Queens, New York City. It is most likely that a bird infected with WNV travelled from another country to Queens, was bitten by a mosquito, and then that mosquito transmitted it's disease to a human.

Ever since the summer of 1999, WNV has been an issue in all states besides Hawaii and Alaska. About 40,000 reported cases and 1,700 deaths have occurred in the U.S. since WNV's discovery as well. Due to this, state governments across the U.S. have focused a lot of their efforts and budgets on dealing with the spread of WNV. Especially in Massachusetts, with it's alarming rate of the virus, it's important that communities pressure their local legislatures to make wise decisions concerning prevention and treatment. Right now, aerial spraying is the most common solution. Yet, isn't it time that the government focus less on a tactic that causes more harm in the environment, and on a solution such as a WNV vaccine instead? Spending thousands of tax-payers dollars on a non-permanent solution is not being proactive. If the government diverted some of that income towards medical research, WNV infections in humans could be eradicated for good.