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How to Share the West Nile Virus Video and CD

Introduction

Hello, I'm Dr. Duane Gubler, former Director of the Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, located in Fort Collins, Colorado. As a Rotarian since 1984, I have had the privilege of working on many partnerships between CDC and Rotary International, specifically on Dengue Fever prevention and control in many countries of Latin America, Asia and the Pacific (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Panama, Philippines, Colombia, Indonesia, Argentina, Sri Lanka, Australia and Guatemala). I am pleased that CDC is once again partnering with Rotary by offering a community service program that addresses prevention and control of the West Nile Virus. West Nile Virus is an important new health threat to humans, horses, birds & other animals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, parts of the Caribbean & Central America.

This CD-ROM includes video, print materials, web site links and other helpful information about West Nile virus for you to share with your community. All of the material, including the video, are in the public domain. Therefore, I encourage you to copy the CDs, VHS tapes, print materials and other information so you can provide it to as many people as possible. These materials can also be adopted and changed to reflect your local situation. Please do not hesitate to contact us at CDC with questions. www.cdc.gov

The following text provides a practical "road map" for groups or individuals to follow as they develop their West Nile Virus prevention programs. Thank you for your interest in this important public health problem.

What can you do with this CD-ROM/VHS tape?

  1. Contact your local health department. Let them know you have this tool and are interested in helping educate your community about WNV prevention. Often the health department will have personnel to help with this effort, or will have additional materials. Try asking for the West Nile Virus coordinator. Other local resources may be the County Extension Office, and local veterinarians. Explore CDC's web site at: www.cdc.gov for information.

  2. Contact local groups and organizations to arrange educational presentations, discussions and partnerships on WNV prevention. Other groups to contact include:

    • Senior centers

    • Educational institutions

    • Non-profit organizations

    • Other groups who would utilize the material within their community, such as Rotary groups, Lions Clubs, other civic organization, 4-H groups, Boy and Girl Scout groups, church groups, and other organizations that are part of your community.

  1. Look for other ways to inform your community about West Nile virus, and to encourage prevention. For example, we suggest:

    • Rotarians and any other groups can create awareness about the West Nile Virus in their area using local radio, TV and print media. See more below on "Contacting the Media."

    • Have a booth with information at local festivals with information about your organization and WNV prevention.

    • Collaborate with youth organizations to hold Neighborhood Clean-Up Days -- to control mosquito breeding sites.

Fact Sheet
Why You Should Share This Material
West Nile virus (WNV) is a serious health threat for people, horses and many species of birds and other animals. WNV is a mosquito-borne virus that was first documented on the east coast of the US in 1999. The virus has spread to the Pacific coast in the span of four years, as well as into Canada, Mexico, parts of the Caribbean and Central America.  In 2002, there were 4,156 human cases of West Nile disease in the US, with 284 deaths. Many of those who develop West Nile encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) will suffer from long-term disability due to their infection, and roughly ten percent of those with severe disease have died. Most people infected with WNV will have no symptoms or develop only mild disease. Although West Nile virus can affect people of all ages, persons over the age of 50 are more likely to suffer severe disease if infected. There is no treatment for infection with the virus, beyond supportive care. Horses can also be severely affected by WNV - there were over 14,500 veterinary cases in 2002, with a 30% fatality rate. A vaccine is available for equines. West Nile virus is spread mainly through the bite of infected mosquitoes. People can protect themselves from infection by using insect repellents containing DEET, wearing protective clothing, keeping window and door screens intact and avoiding prime mosquito biting hours. Another important step is to avoid having water-holding containers, which provide breeding sites for mosquitoes. Communities can also carry out mosquito control activities to further limit the population of mosquito vectors.

West Nile virus has now spread throughout the United States. Many people are not yet aware that they and members of their families should be concerned about this virus, and to take actions to protect themselves. There is a need to shift communities from thinking of mosquitoes as simple nuisances, or problems in other countries, to a health threat that we must each consider.

There is a real need for persons in the community to help local health departments prevent human and animal infection with WNV; to accomplish this, people must know how best to undertake prevention. Rotary Clubs around the United States, Canada and Mexico offer a unique pathway to get important information into communities in a way that will encourage people to take action.

The CD and video are free to your group and provides a way for each Rotary Club to offer a community service project for their location. As an added bonus, Rotary will gain visibility in their community because this project is sponsored by Rotary and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This becomes a great way for local Rotary groups to connect with their local or state health departments.

Health departments, counties and other agencies and organizations can utilize the video and CD for other outreach projects, seminars and forums outside of the Rotarian groups. Speakers can use the entire length of video or segments of the video in presentations. Any organization can loop the video in their facility's lobby or other areas.

How to copy the video and other material:
Note: All material on the West Nile Virus (video, CD-ROM, VHS tape) is public domain and can be copied:

  1. VHS tape: You can take the half-hour VHS tape to a duplicating company or use two video tape machines to record VHS tape to VHS tape. Blank video tapes can be purchased from your local retail stores. Please note that if a VHS tape is copied to another VHS tape, the quality will be reduced. If you will be duplicating VHS tapes, it is best to use the original VHS tape you receive from us as the master tape for quality purposes. To duplicate larger numbers of VHS tapes, contact a duplication company in your area. High quality copies can be insured by ordering a Master Tape for $40.00 from the Rotary Club of Fort Collins, CO; e-mail: info@rotarycluboffortcollins.org
  1. CD-ROM: Your computer may have individual software that allows you to replicate CD to CD. You can purchase blank CDs from your local retail store. If your computer is not set up for duplication, you can go to www.roxio.com for more information. CD Copier allows you to make an exact copy of an existing music or data CD. Note: Easy CD Creator is designed to assist you in reproducing material. To run CD Copier: Click Start, point to Programs, point to Roxio Easy CD Creator 5, point to Applications, and then select CD Copier. Note: Refer to CD Copier's Help for more information on using CD Copier. For larger replication volumes of CDs, contact a local duplication company in your area.

The CD-ROM provides material you can print out for use in your community. Additional material can be found by going the Center for Disease Control's West Nile Virus Website at www.cdc.gov/westnile/ . Your local health department may have additional printed material you can share with your community.

This video has been produced as a 28-minute production that can be used as a stand-alone piece. It is purposely produced in 6 segments, thereby allowing for shorter educational portions to be used as desired. The six segments are:

  1. Introduction
  2. How the virus works
  3. Human Disease
  4. Prevention
  5. Animal Infection
  6. Conclusion

Contact Your Local Media
We suggest contacting your local media outlets such as radio stations, TV stations, newspapers, magazines, local Internet chat and discussion groups and others. We have provided a sample press release you could adapt for your local program.

If you have questions regarding animals and equine, contact Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado in the Animal Population Health Institute at: www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/aphi/

Thank You To Our Partners
The video and CD-ROM production has been a partnership between the Rotary Club of Fort Collins, Colorado, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Fort Collins, Colorado based multi-media company, MediaTech Productions. All content has been supplied and approved by CDC while MediaTech Productions has donated some production costs towards the making of this project. Both Dr. Gubler and President/CEO of MediaTech Productions, Maury Dobbie, are Rotarians who have committed themselves to a project that they believe can make a difference against the spread of West Nile virus.

In the animal section of this video, content specific to equines has been supplied by Dr. Josie Traub-Dargatz, Colorado State University Veterinarian. Ernie Marx of the Colorado State University Extension Office, Ann Watson of the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, and Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez, CDC Behavioral Scientist, are other members of the team to make this video and CD a reality. Many thanks The Rotary Club of Fort Collins, Colorado (District 5440 Club #416), which has shown great support for this project.