There is no doubt that the West Nile Virus can be deadly, transmitted by infected mosquitoes; it causes an inflammation of the brain and may lead to death.

As I started my research for this piece, I asked myself, "Where did the disease originate, and how did it get here?"

The West Nile Virus comes from Africa, Eastern Europe, West Asia and the Middle East. It was not known of here until the summer of 1999. And the strain found here is most likely from the Middle East. How it got here is still a mystery which will probably never be solved.

People get West Nile encephalitis, the disease, from the bite of a mosquito which is infected by the virus. It takes from 10 days to two weeks for the mosquito to become infected after feeding on a diseased bird. The virus is located in the mosquito's salivary glands, and a human can be infected as the mosquito bites to take blood. With the bite, the virus is injected into the human being.

The virus, after a human incubation period of from five to 15 days, causes an inflammation of the brain. At this time, it appears that an infected human being cannot pass the disease on to another - nor does it appear that dead birds or other infected animals can pass on the disease to humans.

While the virus can be deadly, most infections are mild. Symptoms of the disease include headaches, fever, body aches, skin rash and swollen glands. When the infection is more severe, the victim can have a higher fever, stiff neck, disorientation, coma, paralysis and tremors. Unfortunately, there is no known therapy to treat the disease. Someone with a serious case will require intensive therapeutic support, including hospitalization. With no vaccine to stop the disease, the prevention of mosquito bites is the only way to head off the West Nile Virus.

Hunters and others exposed to mosquitoes have to take particular cautions. Of course, the best way to avoid mosquitoes is to stay inside at dawn and dusk. In addition, long-sleeved shirts and pants are a must. Insect repellent should be applied to clothing and exposed skin. You should also make sure you have no stagnant pools of water around your home. They are sure breeding grounds for mosquitoes and should be eliminated.

One other step requires the spraying of wetlands and wooded areas by the government. Some environmental groups have protested such spraying as environmentally unsound. Personally, I feel the spraying needs to be continued. Let us hope this disease can be eradicated before it spreads beyond the New York metropolitan area.

If you would like more information about the West Nile Virus, visit the Centers for Disease Control's web site at http://edcp.org/html/wn.html.