Lane County reports first case of West Nile virus.

Byline: Mark Baker The Register-Guard

It's here.

The first Lane County case of West Nile virus was announced Wednesday by the state Department of Human Services as one of the first four cases of the disease reported in Oregon this year. It's not likely that it was contracted here, however, and there's hardly any reason to panic, health officials say.

Nor did it catch health officials off-guard.

"We've been expecting it for some time," said Betsy Meredith, communicable disease nursing supervisor at Lane County Public Health Services.

The virus was discovered in a Lane County man after he gave blood at the Lane Memorial Blood Bank on July 15, Meredith said. The man was notified Wednesday and he's just fine, she added. He has had no symptoms and is probably immune to the virus, she said. The blood bank and Lane County Public Health will hold a news conference at 10:30 a.m. today to provide more details.

"It was caught through the good screening practices of the blood bank - that's the good news," Lane County spokeswoman Melinda Kletzok said.

The other three Oregon cases announced Wednesday occurred in residents in Malheur, Benton and Marion counties, with the latter two believed to have been contracted while traveling in California's central valley. The Sacramento Bee reported Wednesday that California has had 416 cases of West Nile so far and that eight people in that state have died from the virus.

Although the Lane County man experienced no symptoms, the other three Oregon cases announced Wednesday did have symptoms, according to Dr. Emilio DeBess, the state's public health veterinarian. They have all since recovered, he said. Symptoms include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions and muscle weakness. In more severe cases, coma, numbness and paralysis may precede death.

The West Nile virus is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes and is not spread person-to-person. The disease spreads when mosquitoes infect birds, which fly to a new area and are bitten by mosquitoes, which then pass it on to other birds, animals or humans.

The virus was first reported in the United States in New York in 1999 and has caused almost 700 deaths nationwide. Cases have been reported in all 48 contiguous states. Five cases were reported in Oregon last year, four of them in Malheur County in the eastern part of the state.

But far more people die from the flu and flulike viruses in the nation every year - 20,000 to 36,000 - than the West Nile virus, Meredith said. "There's just no comparison." Still, people should take precautions and try to avoid mosquito bites by making sure they have proper screening on their windows and that they wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts when outdoors, she said. Easier said than done in the summertime.

TAKE PRECAUTIONS

Public health officials recommend taking the following steps to guard against the West Nile virus:

Ensure that screen doors and windows fit tightly; repair or replace screens that have tears or holes

Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts and other protective clothing when outdoors

Eliminate all sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding such as clogged gutters, bird baths and old tires.

Avoid playing or working outside at dawn or dusk, times that mosquitoes are most active

Use repellents that contain DEET, Picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Never apply DEET directly to a child's skin, however; apply first to your own hands and then onto the child. And don't use oil of lemon eucalyptus on children under 3.