States Unprepared for Emergency Pest Situations

FAIRFAX, Va. (December 20, 2012) – According to an article posted yesterday on USAToday.com, states are losing ground in emergency preparedness for a wide range of deadly events, from weather disasters like Superstorm Sandy to the spread of infectious diseases such as Hantavirus and West Nile virus. 

The 10th annual report by the Trust of America's Health, titled Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, found only five states met eight of 10 measures used to evaluate public health preparedness.

The article specifically mentions the West Nile virus outbreak, stating, "In addition to extreme weather and food-borne illnesses, "we have suffered a deadly rise of the West Nile virus, a fungal meningitis outbreak and a resurgence of old diseases we thought were largely conquered."

This report holds especially true in Oklahoma where officials attribute the funding cut made to the state's surveillance of mosquitoes as a main reason for the state’s poor ranking.