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West Nile: We were the epicenter last year — what lies ahead?
| Friday, Mar 28 2008 1:49 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Mar 31 2008 8:01 AM
West Nile virus doesn’t concern Kenneth Cannon too much.
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• Eliminate all sources of stagnant or standing water.
• Avoid being outdoors at dawn and dusk.
• Wear long sleeves and pants while outdoors whenever possible.
• Use insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
• Make sure the doors and windows in your home have tight-fitting screens with no holes or tears.
• Contact the appropriate mosquito abatement district if there is a significant mosquito problem where you live or work, for a supply of mosquito fish to control larvae in troughs and ponds or to report an abandoned swimming pool. Call the Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District at 589-2744, Westside Mosquito Abatement District at 763-3510, Delano Mosquito Abatement District at 725-3114 or South Fork Mosquito Abatement District at 760-376-4268.
• If a home with a green pool is vacant, feel free to call the broker or the Bakersfield Association of Realtors at 635-2300.
• Avoid over-watering lawns.
• Call the state’s hot line at 877-WNV-BIRD (877-968-2473) upon finding a dead bird or squirrel.
• Consult veterinarians to properly vaccinate horses.
Sources: Kern County Department of Public Health Services, Bakersfield Association of Realtors, Kern County Engineering and Survey Services Department
But civic duty, that is something of interest to him.
That’s why the 80-year-old Bakersfield resident felt compelled to call the state’s dead-bird hot line when he found a dove in his front yard, “laying on his back, his legs sticking up in the air.”
The gray mourning dove is the first bird infected with West Nile virus to be found in Kern County this year.
And the bird is early. Last year, Kern’s first West Nile-infected bird was reported the week of June 8.
“It was a short reprieve” since last season, said Rob Quiring, manager of the Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District. “It could be another interesting year.”
It feels like Kern just emerged from being the 2007 epicenter for West Nile nationwide, with 140 people infected and four deaths.
County agencies are gearing up to deal with the unpredictable mosquito-borne virus, and residents are being urged to take precautions despite the fact that spring just began.
“I think we’re in good shape,” said Public Health Services Director John Nilon. “But we have no ability to predict where and how intense West Nile virus will be.”
THE 2007 SEASON
Several factors led experts to believe 2007 would be a light year for the virus. Mosquitoes were less abundant compared to the year before, and the winter had been dry, which meant less water around town.
But an easy year it was not.
The deaths and high number of infections prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare an emergency for the county in August.
Since then, several probable causes for 2007’s spike have been determined, said Richard Takahashi, entomologist with the Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District, who has presented his theories to groups around the state.
“I don’t have a smoking gun,” Takahashi said. “But I have a lot of circumstantial evidence,” which includes:
• an abundance of mosquitoes at the end of 2006, which meant more mosquitoes than usual at the beginning of 2007;
• the drought, which caused birds to congregate in metro Bakersfield, where water is more abundant;
• a congregation of people living in areas with mosquitoes and birds who had the virus;
• unusually high temperatures in mid-June, which jump-started mosquitoes and the virus;
• an unusually high number of abandoned swimming pools.
THIS YEAR'S FORECAST
Last year’s season was so unpredictable that many officials are wary of prognosticating.
It’s too early to predict what kind of season California will see, said Lea Brooks, spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health.
Even the infected dove doesn’t necessarily mean Kern will face a difficult season.
Doves don’t usually die from West Nile and carry the virus for a long time, said nationally renowned West Nile expert William Reisen, entomologist and professor with UC Davis. “It could mean you found it late, and it was infected last year.”
Because of the attention paid to last season, people are also more aware of the need to report birds and abandoned pools, Nilon and Quiring said. In February 2007, four murky pools were reported to the vector control district compared with 69 this year.
“People are getting the message,” Quiring said.
But a couple of troublesome factors have arisen.
This winter has been mild, which means more adult mosquitoes have survived, Takahashi said.
Vector control officials have already found mosquito larvae in pools, Quiring added.
“It’s been a little drier and warmer spring,” Reisen said. “It seems like we’re heading toward the same little perfect storm we had last year.”
And abandoned swimming pools continue to pose a problem. In February, 586 homes were foreclosed upon in Kern, compared with 107 homes in February 2007, according to the Kern County Recorder’s office.
“The situation will get worse before it will get better,” said Warren Peterson, president of the Bakersfield Association of Realtors.
WHAT'S BEING DONE
While the future of the virus is hard to predict, local officials are trying to manage, Nilon said.
The county West Nile task force — which includes public health, environmental health, vector control and agriculture officials — has met twice since December, Nilon said.
Linda Vernon, executive director of the Bakersfield Association of Realtors, recently joined the group.
“It’s going to make a huge difference,” she said of their work. “There’s going to be a much more secure feeling on the part of the community.”
The group is planning to present a revised West Nile action plan to county supervisors April 8, Nilon said. The action plan hadn’t been updated since it was adopted in February 2004 — before any West Nile cases were ever reported in Kern County.
“I’m trying to figure out, ‘Are we doing enough?’” said Environmental Health Services Director Matt Constantine, who is a member of the task force. “I’m not sure there’s been any significant changes from last year to this one.”
He hasn’t seen the final version of the action plan, and additional funding will be decided once the plan is presented, he said.
The Engineering and Survey Services Department will have thoroughly cleared all but five sumps the vector control district pinpointed as trouble spots by the end of the fiscal year, June 30, said Greg Fenton, senior engineering manager.
These major cleanups cost $15,000-$20,000 per sump, and the department received $600,000 from the county last year for the task. Fenton hopes the county does the same this year.
The Bakersfield Association of Realtors is developing a database of foreclosed and soon-to-be foreclosed homes to give city and county officials, Vernon said. The group has also brought in speakers and published information about the virus in their trade journal.
The Public Health Services Department is working with schools and county agencies and is sending out educational materials, said Nilon, who is also meeting with state representatives next week to discuss plans to fight the bite.
Nilon feels comfortable about the available funds, but it’s too early to say how much will be necessary.
The department doesn’t have a specific West Nile budget, he said.
The Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District has hired an additional five or six employees for the season and has brought the seasonal help in two weeks earlier than usual, Quiring said.
The district is having its first aerial survey of the year done over the next week, Quiring said. This will help pinpoint green pools. Another survey will be done in July.
“We’ll print the photos out and go hunting,” he said. “We certainly hope it’s a lot better than last year.”