Friday, Sep. 05, 2008

Man contracts Merced County's first case of West Nile virus

132 have caught the mosquito-borne illness this year in California, and two have died.

By CAROL REITER
creiter@mercedsun-star.com

The first confirmed human case of West Nile virus in Merced County sent a Merced man to a hospital for six days.

The man, who the Merced County Public Health Department will only say is more than 50 years old, first showed symptoms of a headache on Aug. 11. The North Merced resident developed neurological symptoms and was hospitalized for six days, then released. He's now recovering from the illness at home.

Richard Rios, public information officer for the Merced County Public Health Department, said this case makes a total of 132 cases in the state so far this year. Two of those cases resulted in deaths.

West Nile is a mosquito-borne disease that got its beginnings in Africa and the Middle East. The disease has been in the United States since 1999. Although most people who develop the virus display no symptoms at all, a very small percentage get neurological symptoms, and a few die.

The Merced County Mosquito Abatement District has geared up to hit the mosquitoes that cause the virus, according to Allan Inman, manager and entomologist for the district.

"This is a little bit frustrating because we had no mosquitoes that had tested positive, and only one dead bird in the Shaffer Road and Merced River area," Inman said.

The district launched a plane on Thursday night to spray the city of Merced, and Inman said spraying was going to focus on the riparian areas of the city, along Black Rascal Creek, Bear Creek and Fahrens Creek. Spraying was also going to be done by trucks throughout the city, Inman said.

Rios said the victim of the virus had also been exposed in other areas of the county, so where he actually was bitten is unknown.

Dr. Tim Livermore, health officer for Merced County, said the case shows that people need to be aware.

"We are in the high-risk season for West Nile virus," said Livermore. People who are at most risk of getting the disease are those over the age of 45 and people with weakened immune systems.

Inman said the public needs to get involved in helping stop West Nile. "It's old news now; people forget about it," Inman said. "But we need them to report dead birds."

The dead birds are tested by the state, while the county tests both chickens and mosquitoes in areas throughout the county.

Rios said that while no one can make any predictions about how many people or how severe West Nile will be this season, everyone should be careful.

"People at risk should take precautions," Rios said. Those include draining areas of standing water, not going out unprotected at dawn or dusk, when mosquitoes are active, and using repellents with DEET in them.

"We are depending on the public to help us," Inman said. "We need to be told of standing water, like abandoned swimming pools, so that we can treat them."

Reporter Carol Reiter can be reached at (209) 385-2486 or creiter@mercedsun-star.com.

Staying safe

To report a dead bird or dead tree squirrel, call 1-877-968-2473. Birds or squirrels should be reported within 24 hours of death, and people are encouraged to use rubber or plastic gloves to pick up the dead animals.