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77 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, September 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 21, 2004 Jackson County Vector Control biologist Jim Clover holds a vial containing 35 mosquitoes that are about to be tested for West Nile virus. Clover says that while no mosquitoes in the region have tested positive yet, a dead bird found near Rogue River has. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli West Nile virus is here Jackson County joins list of infected areas after dead jay tests positive for the disease By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune West Nile virus officially reached the Rogue Valley on Friday when a dead jay found near Rogue River tested positive for the virus that local health officials have braced for for the past two years. The jay, found Wednesday near a barn off Rogue River Highway near the Josephine County line, "tested off the scale" for the virus in preliminary tests Thursday, said Eugene Papineau, manager of the Jackson County Vector Control program. More tests Friday morning at an Oregon State University lab confirmed the presence of the virus, which can sicken people and be fatal in rare instances. Health officials on Friday collected thousands of mosquitoes — the agent that carries the virus from infected birds — within a half-mile radius for testing, Papineau said. The results of those mosquito tests were not available Friday. Advertisement The virus has not been detected here in any people or horses, which are susceptible, said Gary Stevens, Jackson County’s director of environmental health. "I think people should take this very seriously," Stevens said. "They can be the first case or the last case, but why be a case at all." People should use mosquito repellent with the chemical DEET in it, wear long sleeves and long pants when in mosquito country and remove any stagnant mosquito-bearing water from around their homes, Stevens said. Stevens also warned residents to ensure their window and door screens can keep mosquitoes at bay. Most human cases of West Nile virus are relatively mild, and only 20 percent of people bitten by an infected mosquito will experience any illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has followed West Nile cases since they first surfaced in New York in 1999. The disease may cause only headaches and fevers in some people, but those with compromised immune systems can become seriously sick and die from the disease. So far this year, 689 people nationwide have contracted the virus, and 20 have died, according to the CDC. Six Californians have died from West Nile. Possible symptoms among infected people include headaches, fever, a rash, and swollen glands. The symptoms can surface three days to three weeks after they are bitten by an infected mosquito. Anyone possessing these symptoms should inform their doctors. Veterinarians also suggest horse owners get their animals vaccinated. Friday’s results came on the heels of Thursday’s revelations that three horses in Eastern Oregon tested positive for the virus, as did four dead birds in California’s Siskiyou County just over the Oregon border. "With West Nile to the south of us and how fast it’s moving, it was just a matter of minutes for it to come here," Stevens said Friday. Papineau said that since Aug. 2, his office has tested 21 dead birds scattered throughout the county and did not find any sign of the virus. He also declined to reveal which property owner found the infected jay. If preliminary tests done at the vector control lab in White City turn up West Nile virus in the mosquitoes, then the OSU lab would have to conduct a confirmation test before those results would be made public, Papineau said. Take precautions against the virus Jackson County health officials are offering the following tips for reducing the number of mosquitoes — which can carry the West Nile virus — in and around people’s homes as well as how best to reduce the chance of getting bitten by infected mosquitoes. Wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants to reduce skin exposure. Treat exposed skin with insect repellent containing DEET, which is most effective. For kids, health officials recommend a 10 percent concentration of DEET. Avoid being outside during dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active. Add mosquito-eating fish or "dunks" — donut-shaped pellets that kill mosquito larvae but are non-toxic to animals — to backyard ponds. Cover or flip outside containers so they don’t hold standing water, where mosquitoes breed. Don’t over-irrigate, and reduce places where water can puddle. Cover metal fence posts so water does not get inside. Clean or hose out bird baths weekly. Cover trash cans and get rid of unused tires that can hold water inside them. Fill stump cavities with sand and flush weekly. Leave open only doors or windows that are well screened. Keep clean the food and water bowls of dogs and cats. Dogs and cats may become infected, but they rarely get ill and do not spread the virus. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [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 ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities