NEW LAWS FUND HELP TO SWAT W. NILE.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two bills Thursday designed to strengthen the state's efforts to fight the mosquito-borne West Nile virus, which has killed 15 Californians this year.

The bills provide an additional $750,000 for the state Department of Fish and Game to develop ways to minimize the mosquito population in California's wetlands.

The additional funds are on top of $1 million already in the state budget to fight the virus, along with $1 million in federal funding and $27 million provided to local mosquito abatement districts.

``I'd say our efforts have been a tremendous success,'' said Jack Hazelrigg, general manager of the Greater Los Angeles Vector Control District. ``The mosquito control districts have put forth a tremendous effort to reduce the mosquito population, and there was a great deal of effort put into advising the public how to prevent being bitten by mosquitoes.''

In California, the virus has infected 523 people, including 207 in Los Angeles County. Seven of the state's 15 deaths have been in Los Angeles County.

California and neighboring Arizona - with five deaths and 337 infections - are two of the states hardest hit this year by the West Nile virus. Yet a study released earlier this week found that residents of the two states are less likely to take precautions against mosquitoes than people elsewhere in the nation.

The results of the Harvard School of Public Health telephone poll suggest a need for more education about ways to reduce exposure to the infected mosquitoes that spread West Nile, according to Robert Blendon, the study's project director.

``If public health authorities cannot convince people in these states to start taking more precautions against mosquito bites, we are likely to see an increase in the number of cases during the remainder of the mosquito season,'' Blendon said.

Authorities have sponsored public-education campaigns to urge people to use insect repellent and take other precautions.

Hazelrigg said the number of cases apparently peaked earlier this month, and he expects the number of people infected to gradually fall each week until the season ends in the middle of next month.