http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209 While communities like San Jose worry about clusters of dead birds, or those in Utah worry about clusters of infected mosquitoes, we here in Bakersfield actually have to worry about clusters of already infected people in an eastern area of the city where officials are stumped. And the infection&nbsp;might spread. This may be total speculation related to this article yesterday on ABC 23 about the East Bakersfield West Nile Virus Cluster, but I can't help but wonder about factors not even mentioned. Of course we have to think about so many factors involved in why there is a cluster of West Nile Virus infections in Bakersfield. 22/25 confirmed cases in the entire state, with most located in east Bakersfield (And the first death in the state too). Other factors? Migratory bird patterns, bird feeding habits, underground water systems that could sometimes get blockages and cause standing water. Sumps, park ponds...Is the city doing its fair job of fending off mosquitos from such stagnant areas that are especially dangerous during dry years? Notice I said dry years, not after wet years. Here's a thought: But what about the slumping housing market? Sometimes disease can affect economy, but can something like a fluctuating real estate market affect disease? Rent signs are popping up around town all over the place. Just how many abandoned houses are there as a result?&nbsp;And how much standing water beneath infected migratory bird areas, or bird populations like black birds and crows/ravens who live near, or travel around such residential areas with longstanding water--perfect breeding grounds for mosquito vectors who can transmit West Nile from bird host to bird host, and to people...? Just some speculation. But you have to think about the housing situation here. Buyers are from all over the state. A rented house could have an owner from anywhere... The cluster map is disturbing, as are the answers from city officials who just say, &quot;I don't know&quot; about the correlation between the disease and drought. Maybe more people just need to be aware of all the houses in their neighborhoods that can be mosquito breeding grounds. Such homes are festering wounds that populate vectors of death in our midst. The government didn't even know Aedes Egytpi mosquitos were the cause of the 1793 Philly epidemics of Yellow Fever. But we know today, that the infectious period then wasn't the result of a&nbsp;wet summer&nbsp;but an&nbsp;especially HOT AND DRY one, thus leaving many stagnant water-filled areas. Go ahead, look it up... hot and dry leaving a swampy mosquito haven near Philadelphia. Maybe the local city officials here need to look a little deeper into the history of mosquito-borne illnesses in the history of America to better understand the cluster that we now face today in our own city. And maybe they do need to look at our housing economy right now as well. And people need to be aware of all the abandoned homes in their areas... even the ones that have had &quot;For Rent&quot; signs for some time... While communities like San Jose worry about clusters of dead birds, or those in Utah worry about clusters of infected mosquitoes, we here in Bakersfield actually have to worry about clusters of already infected people in an eastern area of the city where officials are stumped. And the infection&nbsp;might spread. This may be total speculation related to this article yesterday on ABC 23 about the East Bakersfield West Nile Virus Cluster, but I can't help but wonder about factors not even mentioned. Of course we have to think about so many factors involved in why there is a cluster of West Nile Virus infections in Bakersfield. 22/25 confirmed cases in the entire state, with most located in east Bakersfield (And the first death in the state too). Other factors? Migratory bird patterns, bird feeding habits, underground water systems that could sometimes get blockages and cause standing water. Sumps, park ponds...Is the city doing its fair job of fending off mosquitos from such stagnant areas that are especially dangerous during dry years? Notice I said dry years, not after wet years. Here's a thought: But what about the slumping housing market? Sometimes disease can affect economy, but can something like a fluctuating real estate market affect disease? Rent signs are popping up around town all over the place. Just how many abandoned houses are there as a result?&nbsp;And how much standing water beneath infected migratory bird areas, or bird populations like black birds and crows/ravens who live near, or travel around such residential areas with longstanding water--perfect breeding grounds for mosquito vectors who can transmit West Nile from bird host to bird host, and to people...? Just some speculation. But you have to think about the housing situation here. Buyers are from all over the state. A rented house could have an owner from anywhere... The cluster map is disturbing, as are the answers from city officials who just say, &quot;I don't know&quot; about the correlation between the disease and drought. Maybe more people just need to be aware of all the houses in their neighborhoods that can be mosquito breeding grounds. Such homes are festering wounds that populate vectors of death in our midst. The government didn't even know Aedes Egytpi mosquitos were the cause of the 1793 Philly epidemics of Yellow Fever. But we know today, that the infectious period then wasn't the result of a&nbsp;wet summer&nbsp;but an&nbsp;especially HOT AND DRY one, thus leaving many stagnant water-filled areas. Go ahead, look it up... hot and dry leaving a swampy mosquito haven near Philadelphia. Maybe the local city officials here need to look a little deeper into the history of mosquito-borne illnesses in the history of America to better understand the cluster that we now face today in our own city. And maybe they do need to look at our housing economy right now as well. And people need to be aware of all the abandoned homes in their areas... even the ones that have had &quot;For Rent&quot; signs for some time... en-us Fri, 20 Jul 2007 06:42:09 PDT ABC23, thanks for the thoughtful post and information. Your mention of the slumping real estate market is dead on the money (no West Nile pun intended). There have been quite a few articles in a variety of papers on abandoned swimming pools in the backyards of vacant unsold homes as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and the growing threat they pose. It might be a prudent proposal here in Bakersfield to demand from property owners of unsold/vacant homes with swimming pools to require them to be drained. There are simply not enough abatement officers (what a shock) to check and treat all the stagnant pools in residential areas. http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_118755 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_118755 ABC23, thanks for the thoughtful post and information. Your mention of the slumping real estate market is dead on the money (no West Nile pun intended). There have been quite a few articles in a variety of papers on abandoned swimming pools in the backyards of vacant unsold homes as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and the growing threat they pose. It might be a prudent proposal here in Bakersfield to demand from property owners of unsold/vacant homes with swimming pools to require them to be drained. There are simply not enough abatement officers (what a shock) to check and treat all the stagnant pools in residential areas. <font size="2">I applaud that idea! Let's do it right after we do the important business of declaring English the official language...after all priorities! (sarcastic,aren't I?)</font> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_118774 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_118774 <font size="2">I applaud that idea! Let's do it right after we do the important business of declaring English the official language...after all priorities! (sarcastic,aren't I?)</font> Thanks Adam and Sage... Sage, you crack me up. As usual... http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_118811 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_118811 Thanks Adam and Sage... Sage, you crack me up. As usual... Actually, your speculation about the housing marking was discussed in the <em>Californian</em> story <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/188981.html">&quot;Hunting Kern mosquitoes,&quot;</a> which ran Sunday, and the <em>Californian</em> story <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/192180.html">&quot;Kern leading state in West Nile cases,&quot;</a> which ran yesterday. http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_118831 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_118831 Actually, your speculation about the housing marking was discussed in the <em>Californian</em> story <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/188981.html">&quot;Hunting Kern mosquitoes,&quot;</a> which ran Sunday, and the <em>Californian</em> story <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/192180.html">&quot;Kern leading state in West Nile cases,&quot;</a> which ran yesterday. <p>Thanks for the link... looks like the Health Dept. finally spoke publically about the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.turnto23.com/news/13733008/detail.html">dry climate being part of the cause</a>...and now a <a href="http://www.turnto23.com/news/13745374/detail.html">second death</a>? </p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_120495 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_120495 <p>Thanks for the link... looks like the Health Dept. finally spoke publically about the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.turnto23.com/news/13733008/detail.html">dry climate being part of the cause</a>...and now a <a href="http://www.turnto23.com/news/13745374/detail.html">second death</a>? </p> <p>Sage, Sage, Sage.&nbsp; That's *SO* inside-the-box thinking.</p> <p>.</p> <p>Let's get Couch to declare West Nile Virus the Official Bakersfield Disease!&nbsp;&nbsp; That'll stop its spread in its tracks.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_120500 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_120500 <p>Sage, Sage, Sage.&nbsp; That's *SO* inside-the-box thinking.</p> <p>.</p> <p>Let's get Couch to declare West Nile Virus the Official Bakersfield Disease!&nbsp;&nbsp; That'll stop its spread in its tracks.</p> <font size="2">RF~I am just an old lady,it's up to you youngins' to come up with new fangled ideas!</font> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_120511 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_120511 <font size="2">RF~I am just an old lady,it's up to you youngins' to come up with new fangled ideas!</font> I don't have to worry about West Nile virus, I used to live east of 99 and got immunized. http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_120519 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_120519 I don't have to worry about West Nile virus, I used to live east of 99 and got immunized. I just almost spit out my Gatorade... http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_120523 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_120523 I just almost spit out my Gatorade... <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">My biotech company has had encouraging results treating West Nile virus encephalitis since 2003: 81% treatment success rate in people (21 of 26), 75% in horses (6 of 8), and 50% in birds (6 of 12). <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Our first 8 WNV patients were published in a peer-reviewed medical journal in 2004 (1). Many of our patients were elderly.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">The drugs we use already exist, and are FDA-approved for blood pressure. They appear to be anti-inflammatory, also. People with a normal immune system who get sick from the </span><st1:place><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">West Nile</span></st1:place><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> virus appear to overdo their immune response to the virus. Our approach is meant to safely calm down their exaggerated immune response.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Anybody who wants to download the WNV trial protocol can do so for free at any time by clicking on the &quot;</span><st1:place><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">West Nile</span></st1:place><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> trial&quot; link on our homepage at www.genomed.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Reference<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">1:<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Moskowitz DW, Johnson FE. The central role of angiotensin I-converting enzyme in vertebrate pathophysiology. Curr Top Med Chem. 2004;4(13):1433-54. </span><st1:stockticker><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">PMID</span></st1:stockticker><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">: 15379656 (For PDF file, click on paper #6 at: http://www.genomed.com/index.cfm?action=investor&amp;drill=publications) -- see Table 2 for WNV patients<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Dave Moskowitz MD FACP<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:stockticker><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">CEO</span></st1:stockticker><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">, GenoMed, Inc.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Ticker symbol: GMED.PK<o:p></o:p></span></p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_150983 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ABC23/12209/#c_150983 <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">My biotech company has had encouraging results treating West Nile virus encephalitis since 2003: 81% treatment success rate in people (21 of 26), 75% in horses (6 of 8), and 50% in birds (6 of 12). <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Our first 8 WNV patients were published in a peer-reviewed medical journal in 2004 (1). Many of our patients were elderly.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">The drugs we use already exist, and are FDA-approved for blood pressure. They appear to be anti-inflammatory, also. People with a normal immune system who get sick from the </span><st1:place><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">West Nile</span></st1:place><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> virus appear to overdo their immune response to the virus. Our approach is meant to safely calm down their exaggerated immune response.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Anybody who wants to download the WNV trial protocol can do so for free at any time by clicking on the &quot;</span><st1:place><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">West Nile</span></st1:place><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> trial&quot; link on our homepage at www.genomed.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Reference<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">1:<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Moskowitz DW, Johnson FE. The central role of angiotensin I-converting enzyme in vertebrate pathophysiology. Curr Top Med Chem. 2004;4(13):1433-54. </span><st1:stockticker><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">PMID</span></st1:stockticker><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">: 15379656 (For PDF file, click on paper #6 at: http://www.genomed.com/index.cfm?action=investor&amp;drill=publications) -- see Table 2 for WNV patients<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Dave Moskowitz MD FACP<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:stockticker><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">CEO</span></st1:stockticker><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">, GenoMed, Inc.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Ticker symbol: GMED.PK<o:p></o:p></span></p>