2010 Metro Mitigation Plan

NATURAL BIOLOCIAL HAZARDS
West Nile Virus: Risk – Low; Vulnerability – Low
The impacts of West Nile Virus within the Metro area may include the loss of life or either
short or long term debilitation for the victims. It may also include economic hardship for the
individuals or their families. Lost work time affects not only the employee, but also the
employer. Loss of productivity due to individual illnesses is a major business problem today
without taking into account the effects of a major epidemic.
In addition, a serious epidemic would likely cause a strain on current public health and
medical resources. Response efforts cause an economic impact on the community including
the cost of spraying, data collection and testing efforts, and public information.
Both the risk and vulnerability to Tennessee from West Nile Virus (WNV) is considered low,
based on the percentage of total population that actually contracts the disease. The first
appearance of WNV in North America occurred in 1999. As of August 2003, WNV has been
documented in 46 states and the District of Columbia. Positive cases of West Nile Virus in
Metro Nashville-Davidson County were first reported in 2002 in birds, humans, and
veterinary animals. According to the Tennessee State Department of Health, the number of
confirmed human cases for the State for 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 are 1, 141, 103, and 1,
respectively. This is consistent with the natural trends that indicate the second year of
exposure to WNV is the worst.
Metropolitan Nashville - Davidson County
Vulnerability Assessment
Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Page 4-95
April 2010