Vector surveillance for West Nile virus

West Nile virus (WNV) was detected in the metropolitan New York City (NYC) area during the summer and fall of 1999. Sixty-two human cases, including seven fatalities, were documented. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) initiated and implemented a statewide mosquito and WNV surveillance system. We developed a WNV response plan designed to provide local health departments (LHD) a standardized means to begin to assess basic mosquito population data and to detect WNV circulation in mosquito populations. During the 2000 arbovirus surveillance season, local health agencies collected 317,676 mosquitoes and submitted 9,952 pools for virus testing. NYSDOH polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing detected 363 WNV-positive pools. Eight species of mosquitoes were found to be infected. Of the 26 counties conducting mosquito surveillance, WNV-positive mosquitoes were detected only in NYC, on Long Island, and in four counties in the lower Hudson River valley region. LHD larval surveillance provided initial or enhanced mosquito habitat location and characterization and mosquito species documentation. Adult mosquito surveillance provided LHD information on species' presence, density, seasonal fluctuations, virus infection, minimum infection ratios (MIR) and indirect data on mosquito control efficacy after larval or adult control interventions. Collective surveillance activities conducted during 1999 and 2000 suggest that WNV has dispersed throughout the state and may affect local health jurisdictions within NYS, adjacent states, and Canada in future years. Vector surveillance will remain a critical component of LHD programs addressing public health concerns related to WNV.