Ecological complexity and West Nile virus: perspectives on improving public health response.

The emergence of West Nile Virus, as well as other emerging diseases, is linked to complex ecosystem processes such as climate change and constitutes an important threat to population health. Traditional public health intervention activities related to vector surveillance and control tend to be reactive and limited in their ability to deal with multiple epidemics and in their consideration of population health determinants. This paper reviews the current status of West Nile Virus in Canada and describes how complex systems and geographical perspectives help to acknowledge the influence of ecosystem processes on population health. It also provides examples of how these perspectives can be integrated into population-based intervention strategies.