Dallas Continues Spraying in Fight Against West Nile Fever

 DALLAS — Officials in Dallas, Texas and the surrounding county of the same name are continuing to spray by land and air in an effort to suppress mosquitoes that spread the West Nile virus. Health officials have reported more than 200 cases of fever caused by the virus in the Texas city, several times more than have been reported anywhere else in the country.  The illness has also caused 10 deaths.

Many people in Dallas continue to work and play outdoors, but they are heeding¹ warnings from health officials to protect themselves.

Fifteen-year-old Macias says he has followed the news reports of West Nile cases here. “Yeah, I am concerned because if it comes to us, there is a chance you could die," she said.

Maria Salgado knows about the illness firsthand, having come down with it in her native Mexico some years ago. “It gave me a high fever, pain in the bones and I felt dizzy and did not want to get up," she said.

Salgado says she is taking precautions now especially with her children.

Both the county and city of Dallas have declared emergencies and have started spraying the entire area with chemicals that target the mosquitoes that spread West Nile fever.

The aerial effort has been disrupted at times by storm systems moving through the area.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who directs the program, says the recent rains may explain why this urban area has so many more West Nile cases than any other place in the country. “Because we have had drought throughout and a little less drought in our area than the rest of the state and now we are having wet and it is hot, that may have something to do with making the conditions so ripe," he said.

Local citizens for the most part support the spraying efforts. “As long as there are mosquitoes with West Nile and as long as it is a health hazard, I think it is better to spray," said one man.

But there are also many critics of the spraying program, including local organic farm operator Marie Tedei, who worries about the effect on beneficial insects like bees. “Honey bees are on our farm to help my farm be more productive and we know that bees are very sensitive to this pesticide," she said.

She also thinks local officials have exaggerated the West Nile threat. “More people get influenza² every year, probably in far less time than our whole summer of West Nile cases, are they going to start dropping influenza vaccine³ from airplanes to vaccinate⁴ the whole population?”

Judge Jenkins dismisses such complaints, saying there is no indication that the spray is harmful. “I think if there was going to be a problem to humans, pets, beneficial insects, we would have seen it by now.  We haven't and neither have other cities that have done this," he said.

Jenkins and other local officials say studies have shown the chemicals being applied⁵ are safe and effective and that their top priority is protecting local citizens from a potentially deadly disease.

With luck, local officials hope the continued spraying will help them get this problem under control in the coming days.

1 heeding   

v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This come of heeding people who say one thing and mean another! 有些人嘴里一回事，心里又是一回事，今天这个下场都是听信了这种人的话的结果。 来自辞典例句
• Her dwarfish spouse still smoked his cigar and drank his rum without heeding her. 她那矮老公还在吸他的雪茄，喝他的蔗酒，睬也不睬她。 来自辞典例句

2 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

3 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

4 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

5 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。