Protecting Hawai i and the Pacific from West Nile

Protecting Hawai’i and the Pacific from West Nile Virus Air Transport Issues Jeff Burgett, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Laurence Lau, Hawai’i Department of Health

A West Nile Virus Primer • A bird disease, mosquitoes transmit it • Native to Africa, Asia, parts of Europe • Type from Israel appeared in New York in 1999, probably via commercial transport • This strain kills birds, has wide range of bird hosts and mosquito vectors • Humans, other mammals are incidental hosts to virus, can’t pass it on, but can get very ill or die.

West Nile Virus is Exploding • Coast to coast in 4 years • Estimated >800 k human infections • Epidemic has not yet peaked

West Nile Virus Basic Transmission Cycle Mosquito vector Virus Bird reservoir hosts Incidental “dead end” hosts

Why Be Concerned for Hawai’i and Pacific Islands? • Have mosquitoes that can transmit WNV • Abundant bird hosts (sparrows, mynahs, finches, etc) • Tropical climate means year-round threat • Once established, no eradication possible • Hawai’i is hub of transport, could be source of WNV for entire region

Our Quality of Life at Risk • In US, over 560 deaths, many more severe illnesses. • Mosquito bites become potentially deadly. • Visitor industry impacts • Native birds decline, go extinct • Costly mosquito control measures • Much harder to control than Dengue

WNV Would Probably Cause Extinctions • Our bird populations are small, not resistant • Historically have been hit hard by malaria, pox • Tests show high mortality rates of some species ‘Io Pop. 1400

Paths of Introduction and Prevention WNV could enter Hawaii through: Migratory birds (low risk? ) Bird imports from mainland (high risk) Infected mosquitoes in air/sea cargo (high risk? )

Key Prevention Actions • We have reduced the probability of an infected bird reaching Hawai’i – Postal Embargo – Quarantine most birds prior to shipment – Single entry point (HNL) • Hope to reduce ability of disease cycle to start at ports of entry – Reduce mosquito densities around ports – Reduce bird numbers around ports

Key Prevention Actions • Want to reduce probability of infected mosquito reaching Hawai’i – Data show mosquitoes stow away on aircraft. 80% of mosquitoes are in cargo spaces – Cargo holds are probably preferred due to long periods of open doors, animals as “bait” in holds. – Night loading attracts Culex to aircraft • But. . . we have little leverage on mainland source airports

So What Does This Mean for Air Transportation Management? Pohnpei Airport

Airport-specific Issues 1 • Safety mandate: extends to protecting workers and public health? • Mosquitoes in aircraft pose risk of WNV introduction, hence “disinsection” is attractive • Mosquitoes at airports pose risk to next destination • Cooperative actions among government agencies are required to address problem

Disinsection • Hawaii has authority to treat aircraft for disease vectors, but… – Which method: residual on walls, aerosol, combo? – Cost borne by carrier – Requires administration of system – May restrict scheduling flexibility – Legal issues with pesticides

Airport-specific Issues 2 • Disinsection of aircraft – On-arrival treatment would increase gate time, may affect scheduling – Baggage/Cargo handling affected – Requires coordination with carrier, regulatory agency – Residual treatment requires aircraft tracking, recertification, notification…

Airport-specific Issues 3 • Mosquitoes – Consider reducing ability of mosquitoes to move via aircraft by • Loading cargo, passengers in daytime • Reducing mosquitoes near airports – Reporting high mosquito conditions to receiving airports • Requires monitoring of mosquitoes – Testing mosquitoes for WNV

Your Questions, Concerns?