Morgan Hill
– It was only a matter of time, before West Nile virus found its
way to Morgan Hill after having killed several birds in San Jose
and Gilroy.
Tests confirmed a barn owl found in the foothills east of Morgan
Hill died from the virus, making it the first appearance of West
Nile in the city. Santa Clara county has found 21 birds that died
from the disease. The Santa Clara County Vector Control District
also received confirmation that a hawk from Los Altos and six other
birds from San Jose tested positive.
Morgan Hill – It was only a matter of time, before West Nile virus found its way to Morgan Hill after having killed several birds in San Jose and Gilroy.
Tests confirmed a barn owl found in the foothills east of Morgan Hill died from the virus, making it the first appearance of West Nile in the city. Santa Clara county has found 21 birds that died from the disease. The Santa Clara County Vector Control District also received confirmation that a hawk from Los Altos and six other birds from San Jose tested positive.
It is the second West Nile infection of a bird in South Valley, following one case in Gilroy earlier this month.
San Benito County still has no confirmed cases of West Nile virus, County Health Officer Elizabeth Falade said Thursday. Although, nearby Salinas discovered a dead bird with the disease on Wednesday, according to Falade.
First detected in the United States in 1999, West Nile virus is found in birds and spread to humans and other animals through the bite of an infected mosquito.
Although it rarely causes illness or death in humans, even after such a bite, West Nile has killed nine people in California this year and infected 280, mostly in Southern California, making California the most infected state in the nation according to the Associated Press.
Santa Clara County’s vector control still is asking residents to report dead birds – that haven’t died from an injury and have been dead less than 48 hours – either by calling its department, the state’s dead bird hotline, or online.
“We are asking residents to be patient and to understand that not all dead birds will be picked up,” said Kriss Costa, vector control’s community education specialist. “The state is only testing certain species of birds, so residents may be asked to dispose of the bird themselves.”
Due to the high volume of dead birds being called in, the Santa Clara County is only testing crows, ravens, magpies, jays and birds of prey.
Officials recommend picking up a dead bird with a hand that is inside two plastic bags. By grasping the bird through the bags, they can be turned inside-out over the animal so it is inside. The bags should be tightly sealed and disposed of in a covered trash container.
Residents also are being asked to keep mosquito populations at bay by checking for any standing water, to help prevent West Nile’s spread.
“Large scale aerial spraying for mosquitoes has never been seen as a viable option in Santa Clara County,” said Russ Parman, assistant manager for Santa Clara Vector Control. “We have to direct our resources at finding and killing them on the ground while they’re in the water. That means covering a lot of territory, responding to reports of stagnant pools, treating catch basins; that’s in addition to staying on top of over 600 known mosquito breeding sources such as creeks and marshes. Once the virus is established, we simply need to kill mosquitoes.”
Residents finding dead birds should call the state’s dead bird hotline: 1-877-968-2473. Report online: www.westnile.ca.gov
Lori Stuenkel is a staff writer. She can be reached at 408-847-7158 or by email at ls*******@gi************.com
