West Nile Virus

Details

Public Health Officials Urge Residents to Take Precautions Against West Nile Virus After First Human Case in Long Beach
Contact :
Helene Calvet, MD, City Health Officer 562.570.4047

The first human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) for 2008 has been confirmed in Long Beach. This is the first confirmed case in the City of Long Beach since 2005. The affected person is a middle-aged woman who is a resident of the North Long Beach area. She was hospitalized in early August with high fever, severe headache and vomiting, and is currently recovering at home. Two other potential cases are under investigation but have not yet been confirmed.

As of September 2, 2008, 130 human cases have been reported in 15 California counties, with the most cases being reported from Los Angeles (34) and Orange (35) counties, including two deaths from WNV in Orange County. Southern California as a whole and Long Beach locally have seen increases this year in the number of WNV-infected birds and mosquitoes, which in turn has resulted in an increased response by local vector control agencies.

The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) Vector Control Program and the Greater Los Angeles Vector Control District have been actively treating sources of mosquito breeding in the city and have been continually testing for evidence of WNV locally. Staff actively tracks the number of mosquitoes (via mosquito traps) and dead birds and our sentinel surveillance flocks of birds to determine the presence and extent of WNV.

This information is valuable in focusing our limited resources on problem areas of the city to stem the spread of WNV. However, WNV is a community-wide problem that can affect everyone, requiring the assistance of individual residents to take precautionary measures to eliminate sources of mosquito breeding (standing water) on personal properties.

"Prevention is the primary goal of the Long Beach Health Department," said Ronald R. Arias, Health Department Director. The Health Department is reminding residents that WNV infection can be prevented by avoiding mosquito bites and controlling mosquito breeding. The following preventive actions can help to protect residents and their families from WNV infection:

* Avoid mosquito-infested areas, especially at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.

* If you do go outdoors between dusk and dawn, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and use mosquito repellant containing DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. Residents should follow instructions on the product label. Consult with your child’s pediatrician for appropriate concentrations of DEET to be used on children under the age of two.

* Keep tight-fitting screens on doors and windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering homes, and check to make sure your screens are in good condition.

* Mosquitoes can breed in standing water. Eliminate standing water on your property by dumping or draining water in neglected ponds, birdbaths, fountains, buckets, old tires or anything that can hold water. Dumping or draining water will interrupt the mosquito life cycle. In areas where standing water cannot be drained (i.e., curbs), sweeping or otherwise disturbing the water will prevent mosquito breeding.

* Clean and chlorinate swimming pools; drain water from pool covers.

* Limit the watering of lawns and outdoor plants to twice a week to avoid run off to gutters and around sprinklers.

Residents are asked to report dead birds and dead tree squirrels to the California Department of Public Health by calling 1-877-WNV-BIRD or online at www.westnile.ca.gov. The California Department of Public Health will accept certain birds for WNV testing; those not collected are still counted for WNV surveillance purposes. If the bird is not collected for testing, it may be placed in a plastic bag and discarded. Birds do not transmit WNV to humans, so residents will not contract WNV from birds - WNV is transmitted to humans via a mosquito bite.

For further information, contact the City of Long Beach Health Department Vector Control Program at 562.570.4132 or online at www.longbeach.gov/health.

Further information about the WNV may be obtained at the State of California Department of Health Services website at www.westnile.ca.gov, or at the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile .

Links

west nile
City of Long Beach Health Department Vector Control Program