South Valley is at the epicenter of what pest control experts
say will be a long year of battling the West Nile virus in
California.
Hollister – South Valley is at the epicenter of what pest control experts say will be a long year of battling the West Nile virus in California.
And while San Benito County was largely unaffected last year by the potentially deadly virus, health officials are predicting the virus to pose more of a threat in 2005.
“Absolutely, ground zero should be Central Valley and Northern California,” said Ted Toppin, spokesman for the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California. “There are thousands of acres of wetlands, thousands of miles of agriculture ditches. Combine all that standing water with hot weather and it has the potential to be a lot worse than it was last year.”
Last year, the worst of the virus was in southern California, where there were more than 800 confirmed cases in humans and 27 deaths. In San Bernardino County, 12 of every 1,000 residents were infected.
San Benito County Public Health Officer Dr. Elizabeth Falade said the virus’ outbreak in the county was limited to about five or six dead birds last year. Horses and humans within the county’s borders were able to steer clear of the menacing disease thanks to human precautions and horse vaccinations, she said. But the virus didn’t take much of a stronghold in San Benito last year.
“We’re expecting it to be a worse season,” she said. The county, which is one of the few in the state without its own vector control board, formed a West Nile virus task force last year to educate the public. The task force discussed contracting with Monterey County’s vector control board last year, but have not made any formal agreement yet, Falade said.
“We’re kind of still in the planning stages,” she said. “We will be doing education and possibly some mosquito abatement. We’re having meetings to decide what to do.”
The task force will have a meeting later this month to discuss in detail what the county plans to do if the virus hits San Benito hard this year, she said.
Residents are still encouraged to drain all standing pools of water, keep up-to-date on horse vaccinations, stay indoors during the twilight hours when mosquitoes are most abundant and report any dead birds, Falade said.
“It’s the same message as last year,” she said. “But we may see more activity. So it’s good to get the message out again and again.”
Santa Clara County only had one confirmed case of the virus last year, but county pest expert Kriss Costa said Monday that the pattern of the virus over that last five years has been that a small outbreak one season augurs a major one the next.
“History has shown that wherever West Nile virus stopped is where it will kick up the next year,” said Costa, spokeswoman for the vector control district. “It just moved into the area. It has a foothold and now it will take off. People don’t need to panic, but they do need to be aware and concerned.”
West Nile virus, first found in the United States in 1999, is spread by mosquitoes. It is transmitted to humans and animals through the bite of an infected mosquito and cannot be spread from person to person.
Typically, the virus turns up first in birds and chickens. Pest control officials have already confirmed two bird cases of the virus this year, finding one in Willow Glen and another in Morgan Hill. Those cases signal that mosquitoes have begun feeding about a month ahead of schedule, Costa said. The Associated Press reported infected mosquitoes were found in Orange County Tuesday.
“Mosquitoes usually don’t start feeding until late March or early April,” she said. “What we’re seeing with West Nile as it’s moved east across the United States is that it has shown up a couple of weeks earlier in new locations.”
The weather over the last few days has created prime breeding ground for mosquitoes, who thrive in wet, warm environments. Mike DiMarco, spokesman for the Santa Clara Valley Water District said that county wetlands and other public waterways are sprayed regularly against mosquitoes. The real threat, he said, comes from standing water on private property.
“Just a little water in a tire swing can hatch hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes,” DiMarco said. “The biggest role we can play is to help the average resident understand that a lot of success in avoiding or minimizing West Nile virus is through a good education.”
The water district’s Web site features an electronic brochure with prevention tips in five languages. Residents should take care to dump even the smallest troughs of standing water on their property, wear long-sleeved clothing, place screens in doors and windows, wear mosquito repellent with DEET and try to stay indoors at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.
Costa said that pools and spas need to be treated because chlorine does not kill mosquito larvae and covers turn them into mosquito incubators. For people with backyard ponds, the county provides free mosquito-eating fish.
Although California has joined the east coast and the south as strong breeding grounds of West Nile, neither the state nor federal government has increased funding to battle the virus.
“Unlike other states, we didn’t receive any additional federal money,” Toppin said. “I think the perception was that we had it handled.”
Toppin said that representatives from the state were in Washington D.C. Monday, lobbying for increased aid and are hoping to get more money for the state. Last year, the first time California confronted a significant West Nile outbreak, the local districts were spared budget cuts, but did not receive additional state money. The pest control budget for the entire state is about $100 million.
“A little will go a long way,” Toppin said. “A lot of people will get sick and have to go to the emergency room. A lot of people may perish. To put that kind of burden on the system is penny wise and pound foolish. This is an emerging epidemic that requires resources to check public health.”
