relation: http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26675/
title: West Nile Virus control in Allegheny County: difficulties in utilization of the Vector Index for prediction
creator: Long, Kathleen
description: West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne pathogen first discovered in Uganda in 1937. The virus was detected in the new world in 1999 in New York City, and has since spread throughout the continental United States as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, and South America. Because of the high percentage of asymptomatic cases, human surveillance alone is inadequate for West Nile Virus. Therefore, programs in the United States, including one in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania perform mosquito surveillance activities in order to find high-risk areas for human transmission. In this study, the mosquito surveillance program findings are presented for 2015. In addition, the vector index measure is used as a possible quantitative method for comparing West Nile Virus risk between the eastern neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. By aiming to increase understanding of the West Nile Virus risk in Allegheny County in 2015 and testing a quantitative method of risk comparison, this study provides public health relevance. Between May and September 2015, 562 gravid mosquito traps were set in Allegheny County. West Nile Virus was detected in samples from 172 of these traps; the highest percentage of positive traps seen in Allegheny County since the surveillance program began. The vector index measure was calculated each week for a subset of eleven different zones in eastern Pittsburgh, with values ranging from 0-5.8. While this method provided values representing risk, they were not useful for comparison because of the low sample size. If the sample size were large enough to allow the calculation of a vector index value for each zone each week, the method would be more useful. 
date: 2016-01-27
type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
type: PeerReviewed
format: application/pdf
language: en
identifier: http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26675/1/KLong_Thesis_12_2015.pdf
identifier:   Long, Kathleen  (2016) West Nile Virus control in Allegheny County: difficulties in utilization of the Vector Index for prediction.  Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.    (Unpublished)