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Catherine Zindler has developed a map that designates at-risk areas in Bryan and College Station for the West Nile virus.
Zindler, a graduate student in the entomology department, developed the West Nile risk area map for the Brazos Valley as a project for two of her graduate classes.
"My map points out areas that are at risk so we can survey them before anything starts dying," Zindler said.
In 2003 there were five cases of West Nile reported in Brazos County and none so far in 2004.
Zindler said the type of mosquito which carries West Nile, the southern house mosquito or Culex quinquefasciatus, does not prefer to feed on humans.
"The mosquito is more likely to bite you because it's hungry," Zindler said.
Zindler said mosquitoes become a problem for humans when they are enclosed in a person's home.
"The southern house mosquito actually feeds on birds, and the problem occurs when the mosquito gets trapped in your house," Zindler said.
Liz Adams, a senior psychology major, said she couldn't help but worry about contracting West Nile virus this past summer.
"I am outside all the time and from what you heard on TV, West Nile seemed to be catching like the common cold," Adams said.
All five human cases in the Brazos Valley contracted the virus in zones designated as high risk and very high risk of Zindler's map.
Before the map was created, researchers relied heavily on calls to the county Health Department from citizens tracking dead birds. When multiple birds died in an area, scientists would then test mosquitoes in that location for West Nile virus.
"Something had to die or be sick before we recognized an area or tested it for West Nile," Zindler said.
The map includes every street in the Bryan-College Station area. It is color coded with pink, yellow and salmon to indicate the level of risk in particular areas.
"This map helps define our target," said Jim Olson, a medical entomologist at Texas A&M.
Olson said Bryan and College Station have limited resources for mosquito control.
"The more accurate our target, the more effective our resources are," Olson said.
Zindler's map is being used by citizens and is very informative, according to Mary Sue Aday, an Environmental Heath Inspector for Brazos County.
"It's a wall map that anyone can use," Aday said. "We have it inside the Health Department by the clerks on the left hand side."
Zindler said she hopes this map will make citizens more aware of the West Nile threat that exists in our community.
The West Nile tracker is available for residents of Bryan and College Station to view. It is located at the Brazos Valley Health Department on William Joel Bryan Street and on the fourth floor of the Entomology building. The map can also be accessed online at www.brazoshealth.org.
"The map serves to give people a better feel of where they are in relation to hot spots," Olson said. "It will give them cause to be a little more cautious; seeing is believing."
