Speech

West Nile Virus Symposium

Remarks of Governor Judy Martz
Hamilton
3/3/2004

**Check Against Delivery**

Thank you Marshall, and welcome everyone to what I'm sure will be a fascinating time of discussion and learning this evening.

It's good to be back in Hamilton and to have the opportunity to be among such an impressive panel of experts who will speak tonight and share their knowledge about West Nile virus.

I was here last summer to meet with Marshall and his colleagues and to see first-hand the work being done at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories and I can tell you I was very impressed.

The scientific experts available in Montana and the Bitterroot Valley is truly amazing, and something of which we all should be proud.

I'm told that no one hesitated when asked to get involved with this symposium. It is important to these presenters that they be able to share this information with our citizens.

I want to personally thank all of you who are speaking tonight for the work that you do in our state.

Marshall, I also want to thank you and Dr. Tom Kindt (kint) for arranging tonight's symposium and for all that you and RML do to provide Montanans with the latest scientific information on so many different research areas.

If we can look beyond the research for a moment, I hope everyone realizes what a vital role RML plays in Montana's future.

You attract students to Montana colleges, keep college graduates in state and offer outstanding employment.
There are many, many Montana connections woven through RML and vice versa.

But, it is research upon which RML has built its reputation. It seems at one time or another some of the world's most puzzling medical questions were answered or researched at RML.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Yellow Fever. Q Fever. Lyme Disease. And now, as many of you have probably read, prion (pree-on) protein diseases such as chronic wasting disease and mad cow disease.

It is that type of solid biomedical research that brings us here tonight.

RML does not conduct West Nile virus research, but its parent organization in Bethesda, Maryland, does.

Infectious diseases like West Nile virus are a perfect reminder of how interconnected our society is to emerging infections.

We must consider the "big picture" ecology of man, horses, birds, insects and their relationships to each other.

We're here tonight to learn how to cope with one emerging infection. There's no way of knowing what affect West Nile virus will have on western Montana this year. But there is a way to be prepared if it does hit hard.

Listen to these folks tonight. Take what they say to heart. Try to envision yourselves incorporating their tips and advice, and ask lots of questions.

There were more than 9,000 human cases of West Nile virus reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year, including 223 deaths -- four of which occurred among Montana's 222 cases.

The virus tends to be more serious among horses than humans, but you'll hear tonight that there are pretty effective vaccines available for horses, and now is the time to begin planning for vaccination strategies.

You'll also hear that trials are under way for a human vaccine, and that physicians in Montana have had some success in treating patients with West Nile fever and encephalitis.

You'll hear how scientists are tracking the types of mosquitoes thought to spread the virus and how that work can help lead to a vaccine.

You'll hear about the experiences of eastern Montana residents over the past two years, what state and local surveillance has learned from them and how those lessons are being used in your area.

Thank you again for coming.

-end-