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51 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, April 23, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 24, 2004 Jerry Poppe of Jackson County Vector Control dips a sample of water for testing from a wet area on Lozier Lane Tuesday. He treated the water on Friday after he observed it teeming with mosquito larvae. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Zzzzt! Not good news for bipeds These mosquitoes we have now are just pests; ones that carry West Nile are expected later By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune When it comes to those pesky mosquitoes buzzing about right now, Eugene Papineau swats them away with a dose of good news. The persistent pests aren’t the ones which would carry the West Nile virus, said the manager of the Jackson County Vector Control District. They are likely western tree hole mosquitoes, which survive the winter as adults holing up in hollow trees, culverts and similar sites to protect them from cold weather, he said. "They start moving around and looking for a blood meal when you get unusually warm weather like this in March," he said. "They don’t carry West Nile but they can carry dog heartworm." But there is a strong likelihood this mosquito season will be bad news for Oregon’s bipeds, he said. Advertisement "Everyone is predicting this is the year West Nile will finally show up in Oregon," he said. Oregon is now the lone state in the contiguous 48 that has yet to find evidence of the mosquito-borne virus within its borders. Washington state officials have found infected horses and birds but have yet to report an infected human. The virus was first found in the United States in 1999, when a few East Coast residents were infected. Although it is estimated that less than 1 percent of mosquitoes carry the disease, it has spread rapidly to the West Coast. Out of some 9,000 cases nationwide, about 250 people have died from the disease since 1999. The likely culprit that carries the disease is the Culex tarsalis mosquito, more commonly known as the western encephalitis mosquito, which usually arrives a little later since it doesn’t "overwinter" in Southern Oregon, he said. "We don’t know why Oregon is the last holdout for West Nile — we have all the ingredients," he said, noting that includes a large migratory bird population which would allow the mosquitoes to transmit it from birds to humans. It also has plenty of water, to breed mosquitoes, and horses, which are particularly susceptible to the flu-like disease, he said. But local residents can dramatically reduce the risk of being bitten by a disease-carrying mosquito by emptying outside containers that hold water, he said. That includes everything from swimming pools that aren’t used, buckets, barrels, ornamental pots, even old tires, he said. "This is the time of year, after rain and warm weather, people need to dump all those things out," he said. The district has distributed pamphlets at county offices, libraries and city halls that offer advice for ways to reduce local mosquito populations. Although the weather will probably turn cold and wet again before spring begins in earnest, mosquitoes are already out, he said. Mild winters in the lower elevations tend to increase the early spring mosquito population, he said. Meanwhile, his department is already preparing for its part in the effort to identify the arrival of the West Nile virus as soon as it arrives. Surveillance programs include placing five sentinel chicken flocks around the county beginning in mid-April. The chickens’ blood is periodically tested for the virus. The district also will resume its dead bird surveillance project later this spring, Papineau said. In that program, the district, working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and its federal counterpart, tests dead birds of the corvid family for signs of the disease. The corvids include crows, ravens, jays and magpies. Local residents are asked to report any dead birds found on their property but not to handle the birds. "We will pick them up if they are fresh," he said, noting that the birds will be checked at the district’s lab for evidence of the virus. The district will give out mosquito larvae-eating fish again this year, beginning May 3, he said. The tiny fish are placed in ponds to reduce the mosquito larvae population. "We anticipate it being a busy season," Papineau said. Virus causes flu-like illness in healthy people The West Nile virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Besides horses and birds, the virus can infect people and other animals, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The virus is not transmitted from person to person or from animals to people. Although the virus causes no more than a flu-like sickness in most people, it can kill elderly people or those with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC. Horses appear to be more susceptible to the virus than humans. It’s fatal in 30 to 40 percent of equine cases, but only about 5 percent of human cases are serious enough to be reported. The Oregon Department of Human Services has established a toll-free telephone information line for West Nile virus at 866-703-4636 or 866-703-INFO. The recorded messages in English and Spanish include disease facts, symptoms and ways to reduce the risk of infection. Additional information can be obtained through the department’s Web site at www.healthoregon.org . The Jackson County Vector Control Web site is www.jacksoncountyvectorcontrol.org . Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! 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