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Tracking the West Nile Virus Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell photo Eugene Papineau, manager of the Jackson County Vector Control District, demonstrates a mosquito trap he uses to catch specimens. He tests them for diseases that could become a public health hazard. These mosquitoes, top left, will be studied under a microscope for any sign of infectious diseases. Jackson County Vector ontrol plans early defense strategy By Dani Dodge Mosquitoes beware. With the help of a new grant, Jackson County Vector Control officers will expand their efforts to hunt you down, examine you under a microscope, and then put you in Ziploc baggies in their freezer. All this in the name of saving Jackson County residents, and neighboring counties, from encephalitis, and possibly, someday, the deadly West Nile Virus. "The predictions are the West Nile Virus could reach the West Coast in three years," said Eugene Papineau, manager of the Jackson County Vector Control District. "Anytime there�s a new disease that could have an impact on our community, we sit up straight in our chairs. That�s why we are getting ready now. If anything is going to show up, we will see it way ahead of time, and that way, we can protect the public and let them know what is happening." The West Nile Virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. It was first seen in the United States two years ago in New York. Oregon�s public health veterinarian, Dr. Emilio DeBess, applied for a $90,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control to increase the state�s mosquito surveillance to prepare for a possible West Nile problem here. Most vector control districts in the state have little or no ability to trap and check mosquitoes for diseases. With the grant, DeBess is helping beef up vector control districts around the state and get the state lab equipped to handle more testing. Part of that included a $7,000 grant to Jackson County to expand the current mosquito trapping efforts into Josephine, Douglas and Curry counties. DeBess said Jackson County is one of the few in the state with an extensive program of checking to see if any mosquito-borne illnesses are in the area. In the spring and summer, the county both traps mosquitoes for testing and keeps coops of chickens in different locations because birds are usually the first to pick up mosquito-borne illnesses. "They are in a key place in Oregon," DeBess said of the vector district. "In terms of public health, it could be the source of a lot of information." Jackson County�s surveillance of mosquito-borne illnesses proved its worth back in 1996, when one of the district�s chickens tested positive for Western Equine Encephalomyelitis, Papineau pointed out. Now with this extra money, they can expand their surveillance to neighboring counties. "There are a lot of counties with no protection," Papineau said. "We are fortunate here we do." Especially with the possibility that the West Nile Virus could come here, DeBess said. He noted that contrary to early predictions, it already has moved from New York to Washington, D.C. "It�s on the move," he said. "And it has a high-percent death rate � the population is highly sensitive because we haven�t seen the disease before." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.