It wasn't quite the perfect storm, but Hurricane Katrina may not be finished with Louisiana and Mississippi just yet. The floods caused by the storm will create the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes capable of transmitting West Nile virus, and it will be at least a month before we know the scale of the risk to public health.
Sustained winds of up to 240 kilometres per hour tore down trees and houses and caused a breach in the coastal defences of New Orleans. As New Scientist went to press, at least 55 people are thought to have died, while the American Red Cross has begun the biggest relief operation in its history to support thousands made homeless.
Widespread flooding will leave pools of stagnant water that will become a haven for mosquitoes, increasing the risk of mosquito-borne diseases, says entomologist Roger Nasci of the US Centers for Disease Control and ...
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