County begins testing for West Nile virus.Byline: Greg Bolt The Register-Guard Correction (published Aug. 8): City/Region: A story on Page B1 on Wednesday gave an incorrect title for John Parrott
Lane County has begun its annual testing for West Nile virus, the source of a flulike illness that has been spreading across the country. Four birds infected with West Nile West Nile may refer to:
West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes, which pick it up from infected birds and can then spread it to other birds and mammals, including people. The county has been running tests for the virus every summer since 2004. Statewide, 27 cases of West Nile virus in people were reported last year, down sharply from the 73 cases in 2006. Almost all of the cases were in Central and Eastern Oregon Eastern Oregon is a geographical term that is generally taken to mean the area of the state of Oregon east of the Cascade Range, save the region around The Dalles and sometimes Klamath County. The area around Bend is considered to be Central Oregon rather than Eastern Oregon. . Oregon State University Oregon State University, at Corvallis; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1858 as Corvallis College, opened 1865. In 1868 it was designated Oregon's land-grant agricultural college and was taken over completely by the state in 1885. Extension Agent John Parrot is running Lane County's testing program again this year. He will test dead crows and Stellar's and scrub jays along with mosquitoes. People can report dead crows and jays to Parrot at 729-8129. To be useful, the birds must be tested within 24 hours of death and show no visible signs of what killed them, such as being hit by a car or eaten by a cat. Parrot catches mosquitoes by baiting traps with dry ice, which gives off carbon dioxide carbon dioxide, chemical compound, CO2, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is about one and one-half times as dense as air under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. . Mosquitoes are attracted by the carbon dioxide exhaled by humans and animals. West Nile virus has never been found in a mosquito in Lane County because there are so many of them that only a very tiny portion of the population is trapped and tested. But Parrot said the presence of the virus in birds shows that it is present in the county. People are advised to eliminate sources of standing water around their homes to limit mosquito breeding habitat. They also can limit exposure by avoiding playing or working around dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active and by wearing long pants and long-sleeve shirts outdoors. Other steps include using an effective insect repellent insect repellent, substance applied to the skin in order to provide protection against biting insects, primarily mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, fleas, and certain flies. such as DEET and making sure windows and doors have tight-fitting screens. |
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