Second bird found today within 15 miles of where I live
This is the most recent article I found for the area.
By Cheryl Clark
July 8, 2005
An infected crow found dead near a Carlsbad school is this year's first evidence that West Nile virus has arrived in San Diego County, health officials announced yesterday.
Culex tarsalis mosquitoes from the San Elijo area were studied at the county Department of Environmental Health as part of a normal screening for West Nile virus. None of these mosquitoes had the virus.
The bird was collected June 10 for lab analysis, said Jack Miller, chief of the vector-control program for the county Department of Environmental Health. It initially tested negative for West Nile, but subsequent examination by a state lab confirmed the virus's presence.
"Now that we know the virus is here this year, people need to be on guard," Miller said. "They need to protect themselves by using insect repellents, particularly when they're near mosquito breeding areas, and to look for standing pools of water around their yards where mosquitoes breed."
People also should quickly report dead jays, ravens, owls, hawks and crows so county health workers can pick them up for testing.
Reporting dead birds
To report a dead bird possibly infected with West Nile virus, call (888) 551-4636. To learn more about the virus, visit
www.sdfightthebite.com. The Web site has information in English and 10 other languages.
Miller declined to identify the school near where the infected crow was collected, adding that the bird probably contracted the virus miles away. In the past three years, San Diego County has fared better than most of its Southern California counterparts in the fight against West Nile.
Orange County has reported 85 infected birds this year, with its first find Jan. 14. Riverside County has reported 16, while Los Angeles County has logged seven. Although Imperial County has not reported a dead infected bird this year, pools of infected mosquitoes have been confirmed in that region.
Orange County's infection rate may be high because it also tests live birds for West Nile virus, Miller said.
Statewide, two human infections have been reported this year. They occurred in Riverside and Tulare counties.
Miller and state health officials said it's too soon to determine whether San Diego County will have many more infections this year. The virus can infect birds, including chickens, as well as horses and humans.
But Miller suggested that if infection counts remain low, one reason is probably the county's aggressive aerial application of larvicide on 27 known mosquito breeding areas such as lagoons. He said the program, which cost $240,000 this year, is well worth its price tag.
"No one else is starting at the beginning of the season treating these locations on a regular monthly basis," Miller said. "It reduced mosquito breeding by an average of 90 percent" compared with the number counted in a year when spraying wasn't done.
Detecting West Nile
Health officials have several ways to detect West Nile virus, such as collecting and testing dead birds, examining sentinel chickens and analyzing samples taken from mosquito pools.
The following are totals of dead birds that tested positive for West Nile from Jan. 1 through yesterday in Southern California counties:
Orange: 85
Riverside: 16
Los Angeles: 7
San Bernardino: 2
Ventura: 1
San Diego: 1
Source: California Department of Health Services
Vicki Kramer, chief of the Vector Borne Disease Section of the California Department of Health Services in Sacramento, acknowledged that the county's spray program may be partly responsible. But she added that San Diego County may have a slightly cooler climate, which could make it less conducive to the mosquitoes and birds that carry the virus than neighboring counties where West Nile has been more virulent.
Throughout California, blood and tissue specimens from dead birds traditionally have been sent to state labs at the University of California Davis for testing. But recently, San Diego County began using a more rapid method called the VecTest. It must pay for this test, which costs $8 per bird.
In the United States, West Nile was first reported in 1999 in New York City. Last year, there were 2,470 human cases and 88 deaths. San Diego County had two residents diagnosed in 2004, but one person contracted the virus in Los Angeles and the other person's infection origin was undetermined.
This year, 3,553 dead birds have been tested throughout the state. Of those, 257 in 31 counties have tested positive.