Article Published: Sunday, June 06, 2004 - 9:23:19 PM PST
Rash of dead crows proves presence of West Nile virus
By Mary Bender , Staff Writer
With more than 200 birds in California felled by West Nile virus, public health
officials will no longer pick up and dispose of the dead animals in some
communities.
Arcadia and West Covina top the list of local cities with the most documented
cases of the disease, transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes. At this
point, agencies tracking the spread of West Nile virus have sufficiently proven
it has hit those communities. As a result, continuing to pick up and test dead
birds there would merely confirm what they already know, officials said.
As of this week, 209 dead birds most of them crows have tested positive for
West Nile virus, according to the state Department of Health Services.
Of that total, 98 were found in Los Angeles County, 84 in San Bernardino
County, 26 in Riverside County and one in Ventura County, said Kelly Middleton,
spokeswoman for the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District.
The agency serves 23 cities across a 250- square-mile jurisdiction.
"There have been so many birds dying in the San Gabriel Valley that, in areas
where we already know that West Nile virus is circulating, we're not continuing
to collect and test those birds,' Middleton said.
That said, officials still ask that people call the toll-free West Nile virus
hot line (877) WNV-BIRD, or (877) 968-2473 to report where and when they find a
dead bird.
"That helps us identify 'hot spot' areas that we need to focus on in mosquito
surveillance and control, if we find breeding sources,' Middleton said.
Although there are about 15 species of mosquitoes in this area, the most
frequent culprit for transmitting West Nile virus is the Southern House
Mosquito scientific name Culex quinquefasciatus.
The disease originates in the Nile River region of Uganda.
"This is a new virus to the United States, so there's no natural immunity in
bird populations or in people,' Middleton said.
Meanwhile, residents should throw away any dead birds they find, being careful
to pick them up with rubber or latex gloves, or a plastic bag. Dead birds left
in the open aren't a danger, and won't perpetuate the infection cycle, she
said.
"People cannot get infected from disposing of dead birds,' Middleton said.
"Mosquitoes will not bite dead birds. So once a bird is dead, it's not a health
risk.'
Public health officials notified about an infected bird must retrieve it within
24 hours after death in order to find evidence of West Nile. "The virus dies
very rapidly after the bird dies,' Middleton said.
After a virus-carrying mosquito bites a bird, the disease runs its course
quickly with the animal dying three to five days later, Middleton said.
West Nile renders birds quite helpless, leaving them unable to fly or perch
which is why they seem to fall out of the sky. The Valley's first infected bird
was found Feb. 24 in the city of San Gabriel.
As for human infection, West Nile virus was linked to 9,389 illnesses and 246
deaths nationwide during 2003. The disease was first detected in 1999 in New
York, and has since spread to 46 states.
West Covina resident Sylvia Price has seen ample evidence of West Nile virus
lately.
"Walking down Workman Avenue, there are dead crows on the sidewalk,' Price
said.
"I picked up one that was eaten halfway through the middle, and another one
that was hobbling around. It couldn't fly. I caught it, and shortly after that,
it just conked out,' Price said.
"Then I picked up one in the street ... stopping traffic ... and put that in
the trash,' she said. "(Friday) morning, I went to the post office (near) Azusa
Avenue and San Bernardino Road and right in the middle of the intersection was
a dead crow.'
The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, which serves 34 cities
over a 1,300-square-mile area, still retrieves dead birds that are reported to
the hot line, said agency spokeswoman Stephanie Miladin.
"We tell people it has to be a freshly dead bird ... for testing purposes,'
Miladin said.
The district recommends that, if people are worried about contracting the
virus, they should avoid being outdoors at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are
most active, Miladin said.
For additional information about West Nile virus, consult the district's Web
site, www.glacvcd.org
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