West Nile Virus: Real Threat Or Media Hype?

This article was originally posted on

http://www.rense.com/general39/media.htm in 2003 In the summer of 1999 the Plum Island Animal Disease Research   facility, requested 75 million dollars to upgrade their lab to a level 4 in   order to work with the most dangerous diseases known to man. Several days after this request was announced in the media, West Nile Virus made it's first public appearance in New York City. Tracey McNamara, a pathologist at the  Bronx Zoo, who was trained at Plum Island, was one of the first to report evidence of this outbreak to the authorities.   The media heavily stressed the idea that West Nile Virus has never before  been in this hemisphere and therefore the virus must have travelled here in old tires  or that increased air travel, the chopping down of rainforests, and possibly global warming, were the instigating factors.   Newsday then reported that WNV has in fact been in North America for years,  housed at such institutions as Yale University, Plum Island and  Rockefeller University.   Many people are questioning the validity of this "outbreak". West Nile Virus  seems to be commanding an extensive amount of coverage in the mainstream  media, for a disease that is so difficult to contract. Why is so much attention  being given to this disease when other diseases, such as Lyme, mycoplasma  induced illnesses, babesiosis,erlichiosis, and bartonella (all emerging tickborne  illnesses) are much more rampant and are currently destroying countless lives. These disabling diseases are instead being downplayed or basically ignored and many patients are being intentionally denied appropriate treatment.   Robert Lederman, a nospray activist in New York City, wants to know where  the proof is for the existence of the WNV epidemic. In one of his articles,  entitled "Is There Proof of West Nile Virus in NYC?", he brings up the point that the names, blood samples and tissue samples of the alleged victims are not available  to a single independant scientist for peer review, confirmation or testing. Neither are the blood or tissue samples of a single allegedly infected bird or  mosquito. His article may be found at <http://baltech.org/lederman/816proof.html>http://baltech.org/lederman/816proof.html   We have a choice of several scenerios 1. WNV is a result of natural circumstances 2. The outbreak and spread of this disease is due to biological terrorism  involving another country. 3. Vaccine and pesticide marketing may be playing a role. 4. Government field testing on the population 5. Population control through deaths from the virus, poisoning from the  pesticides, and lower birth rates due to pesticide induced miscarriages,  infertility and hormone disruption. 6. To create fear and panic for the purpose of manipulation. 7. A combination of any of the above.   A quote from Robert Lederman: "Not one mainstream reporter, despite the information being widely circulated to every newsroom  in the city, has mentioned that a New York State Department of Health Study, printed in the Journal of The American Mosquito Control Association,  found that massive pesticide application, as is being done in NYC, causes a long term 1500% increase in mosquitoes, a dramatic increase in mosquitoes infected with encephalitis, and concluded that only the mosquitoes exposed to the pesticides appeared to be able to become  infected with the viruses. That study alone would seem to prove that  the spraying is intended to increase the incidence of West Nile Virus." It does appear that WNV holds some significance as a biowarfare agent. However,  I'm not sure if WNV has actually measured up to the expectations of an effective biowarfare agent. It doesn't seem to be a long term incapacitant,  it is difficult to contract and most people who become infected, recover. The Reigle Report, a Senate Hearing on Biological Exports To Iraq, states that we did sell WNV to Iraq before the Gulf War, along with   anthrax, brucella, etc. I have seen a video which shows the inside of  an ammunition bunker at Khamisiyah. The camera revealed that a large portion of the biological weapons had U.S. markings on them.   A couple of years ago I attended a public meeting with officials from  Plum Island. During this meeting I stood up and related some of the points I'm making in this article. I also mentioned that a Joseph Smadel, back in the 40s, was conducting research at Walter Reed Hospital.  He was working with mosquitoes, trying to determine which strain mosquito would make the most efficient vector for West Nile Virus.  When I mentioned this fact, the USDA moderator shut off my microphone and said..."This is NOT the place to discuss not trusting  the government." The audience of approximately 200, shouted back with me..."Yes this IS the place and you are the government!" The  officials then tried to assure me that the Plum Island facility did not  acquire WNV till Oct. of 99, several months after the initial outbreak.   Why aren't government officials advising the public to boost their immune systems with natural substances and healthier lifestyles?  Instead, toxic pesticides are being dumped on very populated sections  of NYC and also in rural areas. Pesticides have been found to lower human immunity and make us more susceptible to the very viruses they are supposedly trying to protect us from. What is the real goal here? Many of you may remember the media reporting the arrival of Aedes  Japonicus, in Conn. and N.Y., a while after the WNV outbreak. Aedes Japonicus is an asian species of mosquito usually found in Japan. It  is reported to be the most efficient vector of WNV. I distinctly remember  saying to myself "Gee, isn't that coincidental. This strain of mosquito must have heard that WNV was a new problem here in the States and came over  to visit so it could help to vector the disease more efficiently."   The CDC website tells us "Unpublished studies conducted at The   United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases  in Fort Detrick, MD., indicates that Aedes Japonicus is also a competent  "experimental" vector of WNV, a flavivirus closely related to Japanese encephalitis and St. Louis encephalitis viruses." Was Aedes Japonicus possibly the strain that Joseph Smadel found to be the most efficient vector,  back in the 40s?     Pesticides are toxic, are related to the nerve gases used in Nazi concentration camps, and have been proven to actually increase the numbers of infected mosquitoes. What more do we need to know? Whether West Nile Virus is a real threat or not, pesticides are obviously not the answer.