"West Nile Virus" Rotary Community Services Project

West Nile virus is a new threat to human and animal health throughout the United States and North America. The national response to this threat is headed by the Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Division's Director, Dr. Duane Gubler, is currently a member of the Fort Collins, Colorado Rotary Club (District 5440, Club 416) and a Rotarian since 1984. Dr. Gubler has led Rotary in World Community Service projects to prevent Dengue Fever - a significant cause of sickness and death in the developing world. Now, though a partnership between CDC and Rotary Clubs of Fort Collins, Colorado, the Dengue Fever project has been expanded to address the risk posed by West Nile Virus.

The Rotary Club of Fort Collins, Colorado (District 5440, Club # 416), CDC and MediaTech Productions (a multimedia production company based in Fort Collins, Colorado) have produced an educational video and CD-ROM about West Nile virus. The goal of this project is to involve Rotarians with their local health departments in educating and motivating their communities to prevent West Nile virus infection. The materials will be distributed to Rotarian groups (primarily through District Governors) throughout the United States and Canada for use as a Community Service project.

Rotarians are encouraged to copy and utilize the video and CD-ROM free of charge to develop partnerships with their local health department and other community organizations to educate their community and prevent the West Nile Virus. This can be done through hosting educational talks and seminars, broadcasting information on local television channels and collaborating with other organizations to encourage the use of prevention measures when people in the community are outdoors. The half-hour video can be used as a stand-alone video or the segments can be used individually, thereby allowing the viewers to learn about different aspects of the West Nile Virus.

Segments are entitled:

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

To read more about how you can share the West Nile Virus information, click on How to Share (this is a link to more info on "how to share" the contents)

For More Information:
For more information about West Nile Virus, go to www.cdc.gov/westnile/. The video and information is considered public domain, therefore it is encouraged that Rotarians or any other persons or groups would copy the material. To obtain the information, please contact a Fort Collins Rotary Club representative at: maury@mediatechproductions.com or order using the order form located at www.rotary5440.org/fortcollinsco/WestNileVirus/orderform.htm

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

This project is a partnership between The Rotary Club of Fort Collins, Colorado, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and MediaTech Productions of Fort Collins, Colorado. CDC funded part of the project and MediaTech donated some video production services. President/CEO of MediaTech Productions, Maury Dobbie, is also a Rotarian in the Fort Collins, Colorado Rotary Club with Dr. Gubler. For more information, any master copies of the video or to obtain a CD-ROM call 1-970-224-5911 or e-mail to: maury@mediatechproductions.com

Copyright © for the Rotary Clubs of Fort Collins, CO, the Center for Disease Control and MediaTechProductions, Inc. by Landis L. Boyd, July 7, 2003