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75 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, April 26, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 26, 2005 Follow precautions to avoid pesky mosquitoes By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune All Jerry Poppe wants is a few minutes of your time. "If people were to take about five or 10 minutes and check their property over real well, it could mean all the difference between a miserable summer and a wonderful summer," the assistant manager of the Jackson County Vector Control District said Monday. Recent spring rains may not have quenched Oregon’s drought but they are providing hatching pools in everything from wading pools to wheelbarrows for mosquitoes which, in addition to being a pest, can carry West Nile virus. "People need to make sure there is no standing water around their homes where mosquitoes can lay their eggs," Poppe said. "All they have to do is just dump out that water." Last year, Jackson County had its first human West Nile case when a woman was diagnosed with it after having a blood test. She didn’t have any symptoms that had caused her to believe she had the virus, Poppe said. Advertisement Although the virus causes no more than a flu-like sickness in otherwise healthy people, it can kill the elderly or those with weakened immune systems, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The virus, which is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito, was first found in the United States in 1999. It has spread west by infected birds and has been found in all three West Coast states. In addition to the human victim, West Nile virus has also been found in horses and birds in Jackson County. Although it’s estimated that less than 1 percent of mosquitoes carry the virus, local residents can further reduce the odds by removing standing water where mosquitoes can hatch, officials stress. "I just had a call from someone concerned their neighbor had a pond liner and a wheel barrow full of water and boiling with mosquito larvae," Poppe said, adding that the property owners were unaware of the standing water when he paid them a cordial visit. "When we get going with our season, we don’t have time to go check everything," he said. "Property owners can do that. In the past, I’ve gone to the same house and dumped over the same bucket." For his department, the annual season begins May 1 when seasonal workers begin checking areas for mosquitoes and other vectors. They monitor for West Nile virus by sampling mosquitoes at test ponds and maintain five sentinel chicken flocks in the county. The chickens’ blood is periodically tested for the virus. It also has a dead bird surveillance program that is part of the district’s early-warning system for the mosquito-borne disease. The birds sought are corvids — crows, ravens, jays or magpies — because they are more susceptible to the virus than other birds. Local residents are asked to report any dead birds found on their property but not to handle the birds. For the test to be effective, the birds need to have been dead less than 48 hours. Nine corvids have been found dead in the county this year but none have tested positive for West Nile, Poppe said. In addition to using chemical sprays and educating the public about reducing standing water, the district provides mosquito fish — Gambusia affinis — free to the public. The tiny fish eat mosquito larvae. West Nile virus hotline The Oregon Department of Human Services has established a toll-free telephone information line for the 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 . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Advertisement s