[SDavid]

From: newsday.com on 6/6/08


"A Levittown woman infested with highly contagious bird mites -- parasitic insects spread by wild birds -- was in quarantine Friday after she was evacuated from her home swathed in a hazardous material suit, police said.

Nina Brandica, 45, was put into the suit to prevent the tiny, ravenous insects on her skin and hair from infecting the police officers, firefighters and health officials who loaded her into an ambulance Thursday night and took her to a hospital quarantine unit.

Nassau police officers responded to an 8:48 p.m. call to 100 Saddle Lane, to aid Brandica, a tenant there.

When they realized the nature of the problem, the officers called in the Nassau police Emergency Services Bureau/Haz Mat Unit, as well as fire department and ambulance personnel.

They learned that the mites had spread from a nest in a bathroom vent at the house.

The birds weren't pets, but pests, said Officer Adele Burke, a Nassau police spokeswoman.

"They were wild birds," Burke said. She said the woman had previously been diagnosed with bird mites.

Brandica was admitted to the Nassau University Medical Center quarantine unit for observation and treatment.

Birdmites.org, a Web site about the problem of human infestation, describes the insects: "They are aggressive and they often bite humans when their original food source has gone. . . . They can quickly multiply into thousands, leaving the afflicted person with the feeling of being overwhelmed."

County property records show the house is owned by Louis and Nancy Demetro. County records show the home is classified as a single-family residence occupied by them.

A man who gave his first name as Louis, and who identified himself as the landlord, said Friday that he has at least two tenants in the house, which he said is divided into two apartments.

Outside the small, two-story house Friday morning, Louis said Brandica's health emergency came the same day -- Thursday -- he started eviction proceedings because she had failed to pay her rent for months.

Louis said he checked her apartment for wild birds after she called him Saturday and said she heard a bird noise in a vent, but he found none. He said Brandica stuck her hand in the vent.