WEST NILE KILLS 2 MORE? COUNTY MAY LEAD STATE IN FATAL CASES OF MOSQUITO VIRUS.Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer Two more deaths connected to 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. were reported Monday, making 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. County the state's hardest-hit region with two suspected fatalities and one confirmed death in the past few days. Health officials said 88-year-old Vivian Lorraine Kennedy of Long Beach died after being infected with West Nile virus, which is spread by mosquitoes, and sheriff's officials reported that a 24-year-old Paramount man suffering from flulike symptoms died a short time after being taken to a hospital. The attending physician said the death could be related to the virus, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a sheriff's report. On Saturday, Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care organization, based in Oakland, California, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney R. Garfield. officials said preliminary tests showed that a 91-year-old cancer survivor, Northridge resident Hester Martin, may have died from the virus. County health officials expect to confirm their test results today. ``This is obviously an ongoing, very serious problem that we need to monitor closely for the next two months,'' said Tony Bell, spokesman for county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich Michael Dennis Antonovich (born 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors representing the Fifth District, which covers northern Los Angeles County, the Antelope, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, and parts of the San Fernando and San . ``But panic is not something we want to encourage. Common sense precautions will get us through this mosquito season.'' Despite the deaths and growing public anxiety, county health and vector control Vector control is any method to limit or eradicate the vectors of vector born diseases, for which the pathogen (e.g. virusor parasite) is transmitted by a vector which can be mammals, birds or arthropods, especially insects, and more specifically mosquitoes. officials said the problem is not serious enough yet to warrant spraying neighborhoods with pesticides, though some efforts are being made to eliminate areas where mosquitoes breed. Vector control officials urged the public to remove stagnant puddles of water from their yards and such places as potted plants, bird baths, tires, wagons, gutters and crevices. Jack Hazelrigg, general manager of the Greater Los Angeles Vector Control District, which has 50 employees and a $5.9 million annual budget, said his workers have not detected enough mosquitoes with the virus to warrant neighborhood spraying. ``(Spraying) is always the last resort in an urban area,'' Hazelrigg said. ``Nobody wants us to release atmospheric chemicals into their neighborhoods. We're in a new era. That's not easily tolerated by the public anymore.'' Hazelrigg said his workers are ``ground-fogging,'' placing powder pesticides and using mosquitofish in standing bodies of water to prevent mosquitoes from becoming adults. ``But we are concerned about back yards where we can't get in and make a treatment. If people observe any kind of ponded or stagnant water on somebody's property that's been there for more than a week, we're interested in that.'' Few mosquitoes carry the virus, and few people bitten by infected mosquitoes become seriously ill A patient is seriously ill when his or her illness is of such severity that there is cause for immediate concern but there is no imminent danger to life. See also very seriously ill. . Death results in rare cases, chiefly among the very old, the very young and those with weakened immune systems. State health statistics show that San Bernardino San Bernardino, city, United States San Bernardino (săn bûr'nədē`nō), city (1990 pop. 164,164), seat of San Bernardino co., S Calif., at the foot of the San Bernardino Mts.; inc. 1854. County, with 51 cases, has been hit the hardest in terms of the overall number of humans infected. Los Angeles County has the second-highest number, with 29 cases of human infection, including four 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. . Statewide, there have been 103 human cases and four confirmed deaths so far. The confirmed deaths are Kennedy, the 88-year-old woman from Long Beach; James Damiano, 57, of Fullerton; Morris Sternberg, 75, of Grand Terrace in San Bernardino County; and a Northern California resident. In terms of dead crows and mosquito pools discovered, Los Angeles County - the state's most populous county - has the most, with 648 dead birds found and 130 mosquito pools discovered. ``We have stopped testing dead birds,'' said county public health expert Dr. Laurene Mascola, director of the Acute Communicable Disease communicable disease n. A disease that is transmitted through direct contact with an infected individual or indirectly through a vector. Also called contagious disease. Control program. ``I'm sure there are thousands of dead birds in the county. We now know that the West Nile virus has been detected in nearly every ZIP code in the county. West Nile is here. It's pretty much everywhere in Los Angeles County.'' State Department of Health Services Department of Health Services may refer to:
``It's virtually established throughout the whole state,'' Kramer said. ``We certainly expect the number of human cases to increase rather dramatically this month and in September. ``This is based on national information that August and September are the months when the risk to humans and the risk of West Nile virus transmission is the greatest.'' If people in the San Fernando Valley suspect that a neighbor has a stagnant swimming pool or are aware of other pools of water where mosquitoes are breeding, they are encouraged to call (818) 364-9589. In other parts of the county, excluding the western portion of the county and the San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California. It lies to the east of the city of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and to the west of the Inland Empire. , people can call (562) 944-9656. ``We're getting swamped with calls,'' said Hazelrigg. ``We're responding to them on a case-by-case basis.'' Dick Martin, 63, the son of the 91-year-old woman who died Saturday, said he saw a disoriented dis·o·ri·ent tr.v. dis·o·ri·ent·ed, dis·o·ri·ent·ing, dis·o·ri·ents To cause (a person, for example) to experience disorientation. Adj. 1. squirrel die in his driveway a week ago, and Martin said he was bitten Monday morning by a mosquito breeding in stagnant water in a pothole pothole, in geology, cylindrical pit formed in the rocky channel of a turbulent stream. It is formed and enlarged by the abrading action of pebbles and cobbles that are carried by eddies, or circular water currents that move against the main current of a stream. in front of his home. He believes that mosquitoes from the pothole bit his mother during a July 22 backyard birthday party for her 34-year-old grandson. He reported the pothole over the weekend to local officials. ``Somebody from the vector control district called,'' Martin said. ``If he's being genuine, then that's great, but nothing has been fixed yet. I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how long it takes to fix it, or if they will just say, Way to go, and we'll see you in 20 years.'' Hazelrigg said he expects workers to visit Martin's home today to determine where the mosquitoes are coming from. He said he saw the picture of the pothole on television Sunday night and that the larvae Larvae, in Roman religion Larvae: see lemures. shown were fly larvae. ``It's a common occurrence,'' Hazelrigg said. ``We wish we could get the city to make those repairs. But they are limited by resources, too.'' Martin said he believes that government officials are downplaying the severity of the ``epidemic.'' ``I think aerial spraying is the way to do it,'' Martin said. ``It's not going to hurt your cars or pets, but it will take care of the mosquitoes.'' Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985 troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): box Box: HOW TO AVOID WEST NILE VIRUS SOURCE: Los Angeles County West Vector Control District Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion