“West Nile Virus infection is a health threat to all ages in our county,” said Dr. John Walker, Stanislaus County Public Health Officer. “Last year, affected persons ranged in age from 2 ½ years to 95 years old, with the mean age being 52 years old.”

While this is only the first human case in Stanislaus County, there have been 8 dead birds and 12 mosquito samples within the county that have tested positive for WNV this year. Before today’s report, WNV has been detected in 24 of California’s 58 counties including 3 reports of human infection. In 2005, Stanislaus County had the third highest number of WNV cases in humans with a total of 92 cases, including one death. In all of California in 2005, a total of 935 human WNV infections were reported in 40 counties, including 19 deaths.

The county Mosquito Abatement Districts have already been very active spraying to prevent mosquito breeding. Spraying began in March, and more than 90,000 acres have been sprayed already, but it doesn’t end there. “We can spray and spray, but we need the residents of our county to remove sources of breeding from their backyards” says Lloyd Douglass, manager of the Eastside Mosquito Abatement District. Spraying has also been intensive in the southern and western areas of Stanislaus County. Jerry Davis, manager of the Turlock Mosquito Abatement District states, “The heavy spring rain and flooding have resulted in unusually high mosquito counts. We have already identified a number of mosquito samples positive for West Nile Virus.”
These simple steps can help people protect themselves and others from mosquito bites and WNV:

• Eliminate sources of standing water. During warm weather, mosquitoes can breed within four days. Change the water in pet dishes and regularly replace water in birdbaths. Drill holes in tire swings so water can drain.
• Avoid spending time outside when mosquitoes are most active, at dawn and dusk, and especially for the first two hours after sunset.
• When outdoors, wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts and other protective clothing.
• Exclude mosquitoes from your home with tight fitting screens on doors and windows.
• Apply insect repellent containing the active ingredient DEET when outdoors, according to label instructions.
• In addition to DEET-based products, the CDC has recently recommended insect repellants containing oil of lemon eucalyptus and Picaridin.

For more information, call the West Nile virus hotline at (209) 558-8425 to hear recorded information in both English and Spanish. You can also visit www.stanemergency.com for WNV information. The website includes maps showing locations of WNV-infected mosquito samples, dead birds, and horses.

Report mosquito infestations to the East Side Mosquito Abatement District at (209) 522-4098 or the Turlock Mosquito Abatement District at (209) 634-1234. The State of California is still requesting that residents of Stanislaus County report dead birds to the state hotline at
1-877-WNV-BIRD. Birds of particular interest to the state are crows, ravens, magpies, jays and raptors (hawk or eagle). The public may also submit the information via the web site: www.westnile.ca.gov.