GETTING THE LATEST BUZZ ON WEST NILE VIRUS IS ON ITS WAY, BUT THERE ARE WAYS TO SLOW IT DOWN.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - It's only a matter of time before the potentially fatal West Nile virus reaches north Los Angeles County. And it's up to individuals to eliminate the conditions that could spread the disease to birds, livestock and people.

That's what officials at the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District and the Antelope Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District are saying.

``There have been no positive reactions or indications of West Nile Virus in the Santa Clarita Valley in 2004,'' said Stephanie Miladin, public information officer for the vector control district. ``But mosquito season is just beginning. We're concerned that people modify their behavior and eliminate standing water on their property.''

Officials are asking people to go through their back yards and home areas where standing water might accumulate, because it could provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The small amount of water that collects in a flowerpot saucer is enough for mosquitoes to lay eggs, which hatch in as little as four days.

Mosquito-eating fish for ornamental ponds are available from local vector control offices. Water in wading pools, birdbaths and pet bowls should be changed several times a week and door and window screens should be checked for tears and holes.

``We can reduce the mosquito population in the areas we know of,'' said Karen Mellor, entomologist and operations supervisor for the Antelope Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District. ``But there are places we can't see, and that's people's back yards. Our biggest problems are pooled water; neighbors that see stagnant water can report them, and we check and treat it.''

The first proof of West Nile virus in the Antelope Valley came last October, in a dead raven picked up in Pearblossom.

Dead birds are an early sign of the virus' arrival. The virus sickens humans and animals after they are bitten by mosquitoes that have bitten infected birds. The virus is not spread by person-to-person contact.

First discovered in the United States in New York in 1999 and spreading steadily westward since, West Nile virus reached California last summer.

Mellor said that an Antelope Valley ballot measure proposing that the Rancho Vista and Quartz Hill and surrounding unincorporated areas be included in a vector control district failed last year, leaving large portions of the valley unprotected.

``It would have levied about $6 to $9 per parcel, depending on the size of the property,'' she said. ``That's a small price to pay for the protection you get. But if we start seeing positive birds or the virus in horses or people, we will have to start citing people. There is a provision in the state health and safety code that allows for fines up to $1,000 per day until they clean up the problem.''

A flock of monitor chickens residing at an undisclosed location in Valencia have been tested throughout 2003 and have not exhibited any virus to date. One infected crow was found in the San Gabriel Valley last week, and two house finches collected in Orange County were confirmed to have the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that six people became infected with the virus through blood transfusions last year, despite precautions and screening of donations. 2003 was the first full year that donor blood was screened for West Nile, resulting in 818 donations removed from the blood supply. None of the six victims died from West Nile Virus, although two have died from other causes.

According to the CDC, 9,006 people were diagnosed with West Nile virus in 2003; 2,700 suffered neurological disease from the virus, and it was the cause of 220 deaths.

Most individuals infected with the virus will not experience any illness at all; one in five will have mild symptoms, such as fever, headache and general malaise. Symptoms will be felt within three to 14 days after a bite. Only one out of 150 persons will develop severe disease due to West Nile Virus infection, with the greatest risk of developing severe symptoms - such as encephalitis and meningitis - faced by elderly patients.

Horses are especially susceptible to the virus, and horse owners are advised to have their animals vaccinated against the disease. With the number of equestrian properties growing in the valleys, veterinarian John Roeche spends a good portion of his day traveling ranch to ranch to vaccinate horses against the disease, inoculating eight to 10 animals a day.

``We give the horses two shots to begin with, followed in three to six weeks by a booster, then an annual vaccine,'' he said. ``At this point, we're doing annual follow-up, but states like Kentucky are doing it three or four times a year. I've never seen a horse in this area with West Nile.''

Roeche said that, if a horse contracts the virus, it is treatable, but 40 percent of all infected horses die.

``At first, they look like they're drunk,'' he said. ``If we get the horse to a hospital, it has to be put in a sling to support its weight. Treatment is extensive and expensive, in the thousands of dollars.''

A campaign to educate the public about precautionary measures is being conducted by the county's Department of Health Services, which is distributing reminders advising people to avoid spending time outside at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active; avoid marshy wetlands and heavily wooded areas; wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts and other protective clothing when outdoors; and use insect repellent products with no more than 35 percent DEET for adults and less than 10 percent for children.

The public can also help by reporting any dead crows, ravens, magpies, jays, owls and hawks that they find to the county's veterinary public health department at [phone] or the state at [phone] (WNV- BIRD).

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color; 1 ran in AV edition only; 2 ran in AV and SAC editions only) Veterinarian John Roeche, above, prepares to vaccinate Pager, a 3-year-old quarter horse, for West Nile virus, as the horse's owner, Dennis Swearingen, looks on. Below, Roeche gives a shot to 8-year-old Perchon at Swearingen's Agua Dulce home.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer