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MODESTO
BEE
ORIGINAL
ARTICLE
By KEN CARLSON
kcarlson@modbee.com
Last Updated: June 13, 2007, 03:26:17 AM PDT
A mosquito sample taken just east of Turlock tested positive
for the West Nile virus, the second indication in two weeks
that the potentially deadly virus is active in Stanislaus
County, officials said Tuesday.
The infected mosquitoes were collected from a trap in an
orchard three-quarters of a mile east of the city, between
Gratton and Verduga roads, said Jerry Davis, general manager
of the Turlock Mosquito Abatement District.
A state lab reported the positive test to the district
Friday. Crews conducted ground spraying in the vicinity
Saturday and could do more spraying there this week to knock
down the mosquito population, Davis said.
In addition, a dead bird picked up in Modesto on May 28
was infected with the virus.
Officials did not reveal exactly where the infected bird
was found, but the positive test prompted the East Side
Mosquito Abatement District to fog the streets around Muncy
Park near Prescott Road and West Rumble Road.
Lloyd Douglas, the district's general manager, said the
dead bird wasn't necessarily infected in that neighborhood.
Another dead bird tested positive in February.
People can get West Nile virus from a mosquito bite. Symptoms
may include high fever, neck stiffness, tremors, convulsions
and paralysis. About 80 percent of people who are infected
will have no symptoms.
As of Tuesday, the West Nile virus had been detected in
nine of California's 58 counties, although there are no
confirmed cases of human infection in 2007.
Last year, Stanislaus County had 12 people infected, San
Joaquin had eight cases, and Merced County had four.
To control the illness in Stanislaus County, mosquito abatement
districts have a strategy of detecting where the virus is
present and then eliminating the mosquito breeding hot spots.
With the weather heating up this week — it's forecast
to reach 101 degrees Thursday — officials said the
mosquito population will increase and the conditions will
be conducive to spreading the virus.
"The cool weather has held our numbers down,"
Douglas said, referring to mosquito counts. "But things
are going to start happening faster than they have been."
Davis said he expects this year's human infection rate
to be about the same as last year's because of efforts to
control mosquitoes. In addition, the public is more aware
of the need to take precautions, such as using insect repellent.
WHAT TO DO
Health care advice:
- Use insect repellent containing DEET when outdoors,
and wear long sleeves and long pants.
- Avoid being outdoors during dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes
are most likely to bite.
- Put screens on windows and doors.
- Empty standing water (in flowerpots, buckets, tires,
barrels or rain gutters).
- Change water regularly in pet dishes and birdbaths.
- Keep wading pools empty and on their sides when not
being used.
- Report unusually high mosquito levels, as well as dead
birds.
To report mosquito problems:
- East Side Mosquito Abatement District, 522-4098
- Turlock Mosquito Abatement District, 634-8331 or 634-1234
- Merced Mosquito Abatement District, 722-1527
- San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District,
982-4675 or 800-300-4675
To report dead birds or squirrels:
Toll-free state hot line at 877-968-2473 or go to www.westnile.ca.gov.
For free mosquito fish in Stanislaus County, call 522-4098;
For mosquito fish in San Joaquin County, call 982-4675 or
800-300-4675.
For more information, go to the CDC Web site, www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm
Source: San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control
District
Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at kcarlson@modbee.com
or 578-2321.
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