Los Angeles health officials on Thursday warned against West Nile virus after several dead birds tested positive for the disease.
The warning came after six dead birds recently found in the Los Angeles area tested positive for West Nile virus, marking the first known incursion of the virus into the area this year.
"It just seems to be happening kind of quickly," said Kelly Middleton, spokeswoman for the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District (SGVMVCD).
Middleton said the surge in cases might be attributed to the recent warm weather spell, which facilitates not only the spread of the virus but also the spread of the mosquito population that carries it.
In temperatures lower than 58 degrees Fahrenheit (about 14 Centigrade), the virus is less likely to replicate within a host and spread, she said.
To date this year, 64 dead birds have tested positive for West Nile virus in California, including the six in the Los Angeles area and 25 in Orange County. But no human cases have been reported.
"Based on the evidence we have on West Nile virus activity in southern California, we're anticipating another busy year," said Minoo Madon, scientific-technical services director for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District.
In 2007, three people in the Los Angeles area died of complications from West Nile virus, though most healthy people infected with the virus don't experience debilitating symptoms and may not even know they were exposed to it.
The virus is spread to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes. The virus cannot be spread by person-to-person contact or directly from infected birds to people, according to health officials.
Severe symptoms of the disease, which occur in about one in 150 people infected, include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, muscle weakness and paralysis.
Those over 50 and those with a compromised immune system are most at risk of developing complications from West Nile virus.
People can decrease their risk of infection by avoiding mosquito-infested areas at dawn and dusk; wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants when outdoors; using repellents containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus; cleaning and chlorinating swimming pools; and emptying and washing birdbaths and wading pools weekly.
Source: Xnhua
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