NO WEST NILE CASES REPORTED ONLY 3 INFECTED BIRDS FOUND IN VENTURA COUNTY SO FAR.Byline: ERIC LEACH Staff Writer At times this summer, it might feel more like the Nile Valley in Africa than Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , but West Nile virus West Nile virus, microorganism and the infection resulting from it, which typically produces no symptoms or a flulike condition. The virus is a flavivirus and is related to a number of viruses that cause encephalitis. has so far had less impact on Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and Ventura counties than the past two years, officials said. That could change as Southern California enters the most infectious time of the year for the virus, but health officials hope the number of cases remain few. The first human case of West Nile West Nile may refer to:
Ventura County has reported no human cases, but three dead birds -- one in Camarillo and two in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. . Last year in Ventura County, there were five dead birds by August, but no human cases. ``It takes a while to see how this hot weather is going to affect the West Nile virus infections,'' said Michelle Mussuto, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Health Services Department of Health Services may refer to:
``Mosquitoes like hot weather and grow from larval larval 1. pertaining to larvae. 2. larvate. larval migrans see cutaneous and visceral larva migrans. to adult stage much faster when it's hotter. The hot weather makes it extremely important for people to get rid of standing water.'' In May, after dead birds were found in Orange, Ventura and San Diego counties and infected mosquitoes were found in L.A. County, officials began warning residents that coming warm weather would be ripe for West Nile virus and to use insect repellent and take other steps to avoid exposure to the disease. And even though the West Nile cases have been relatively low in the area, officials said this is a critical time of year for residents to protect themselves. Gail Van Gordon, public health entomologist for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said infection rates dropped between 2004 and 2005 in the county. ``What we're hoping is that the downward trend will continue,'' she said. ``One reason could be that people are taking the warnings seriously.'' The hot, humid weather in the area during July could mean that more mosquitoes are surviving and more people are going outside because of the heat and humidity, she noted. ``If you are going to spend time outside, make sure you are adequately protecting yourself from dusk to dawn, during the peak biting period,'' she said. ``The mosquitoes most responsible for transmitting the virus start flying about dusk.'' As of Aug. 1, there were seven samples of mosquitoes found in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. that tested positive for the West Nile virus, according to the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. That's down dramatically from the 70 positive mosquitoes found in the Los Angeles district last year by this time. How the situation develops this year will depend to some extent on the weather conditions, said Minoo Madon, scientific-technical services director for the Los Angeles vector control district. ``If it stays hot and muggy mug·gy adj. mug·gi·er, mug·gi·est Warm and extremely humid. [Probably from Middle English mugen, to drizzle; akin to Old Norse mugga, a drizzle. and humid, it could create problems,'' Madon said. In all of 2004, there were 830 human infections statewide, with 935 in 2005, but the number of human infections dropped from 331 to 47 in L.A. County between 2004 and 2005, and from two to one in Ventura County. The number of infected horses also dropped in L.A. County from 2004 to 2005 from 540 to 10, but went up from three to eight for the year in Ventura County. The number of dead birds declined from 840 to 173 in L.A. County between 2004 and 2005, but went up from 23 to 62 in Ventura County. After West Nile virus first appeared in 1999 in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and began spreading across the United States, the problem often got worse the second year after its appearance. It appeared first in Southern California in 2003, when L.A. County had just one human infection and 65 dead birds. In Ventura County, officials also say that while the numbers are down, it's too early to tell what the disease will do the rest of this year. ``At this time last year, we had five birds, so it's about the same,'' said Randy Smith, a spokesman for the Ventura County Environmental Health Division. ``But the warmer weather could promote the transmission of the virus. Last year, our heaviest months were August and September. We're just entering that period. You never can tell.'' eric.leach(at)dailynews.com (805) 583-7602 NEED TO KNOW According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. , fewer than one of 150 people bitten by infected mosquitoes get severely ill. In most cases, people infected never become sick or have only mild symptoms that include fever, headache, nausea, body aches and a mild skin rash. But the West Nile virus can, in rare cases, cause encephalitis encephalitis (ĕnsĕf'əlī`təs), general term used to describe a diffuse inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, usually of viral origin, often transmitted by mosquitoes, in contrast to a bacterial infection of the meninges and death. Preventive measures include avoiding mosquito- infested in·fest tr.v. in·fest·ed, in·fest·ing, in·fests 1. To inhabit or overrun in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful, threatening, or obnoxious: areas at dawn and dusk, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants outdoors, using repellents and getting rid of stagnant water. CAPTION(S): box Box: (ran in Simi edition only) NEED TO KNOW (see text) |
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