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.