LA County Officials Discover 2 More Dead Birds with West Nile

At least four more dead birds found in the Cerritos and San Gabriel Valley areas have tested positive for West Nile virus, public health officials reported today.

Two American Crows were found in Cerritos — the first birds found this year by the Greater Los Angeles County agency, Crystal Brown of the Los Angeles County Vector Control District said.

The agency was alerted to the dead crows by people living in the area, Brown said.

"Once collected the birds are sent in for testing and it usually takes a couple weeks to get the results back," Brown said, adding that it was not immediately known if there were any other dead birds found in the Cerritos area undergoing testing.

Along with the Cerritos birds, San Gabriel Valley officials say birds found in Baldwin Park and Covina resulted in two West Nile-positive tests, while results were still pending on a third. 

A  was reported last month by the San Gabriel Valley agency.

"This is not good news,'' according to Kenn Fujioka, assistant manager of the district. "WNV activity is increasingly rapidly now that the weather has warmed. Residents must take an active role in addressing this public health problem.''

West Nile virus is a mosquito-transmitted disease that can cause debilitating illness and death to humans, birds, horses and other wildlife. The virus is not spread through person-to-person contact, or directly from birds to humans.

In most cases, people who are infected with West Nile virus never become sick, or have only very mild symptoms that include fever, headache, nausea, body aches, and a mild skin rash.

Symptoms of West Nile virus could appear within three to 12 days after infection. Fewer than one in 150 people who are bitten by an infected mosquito become severely ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In these rare cases, the virus can cause encephalitis and death. The elderly are most at risk for severe cases of the disease. There is no specific treatment for West Nile virus. However, individuals with severe symptoms may be hospitalized.

This year Southern California's climate of heavy rainfall followed by ample sun and warm temperatures has created an ideal habitat for mosquito breeding.

The City of Cerritos issued a news release last month offering the following tips on how to reduce mosquito breeding around the home:

• Inspect your frontyard and backyard. To break the mosquito life cycle, eliminate standing water in clogged rain gutters, rain barrels, discarded tires, buckets, watering troughs or anything that holds water for more than a week. 
• Ensure that swimming pools, spas and ponds are properly maintained. 
• Change the water in pet dishes regularly and replace water in birdbaths weekly. 
• Fix leaky faucets and sprinklers that may create puddles.
• Pick up free mosquitofish at the local vector control office at 12545 Florence Avenue in Santa Fe Springs. The fish should be placed in out-of-order swimming pools, spas and ponds to control mosquitoes. (Please note that containers for fish transportation are not provided, and residents should bring a plastic bag or bucket with a lid to transport the fish.)
  To avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, the following precautions should also be taken: 
• Avoid outdoor activities or wear long sleeve shirts and pants outdoors at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active. 
• The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using mosquito repellents containing DEET, Picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus. 
• Keep tight-fitting screens on doors and windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.

The public is encouraged to report dead birds and squirrels to help with West Nile virus surveillance and control efforts. The California Department of Health Services’ toll-free hotline is (877) WNV-BIRD (968-2473). The latest West Nile virus information may also be found atwww.westnile.ca.gov.

City News Service contributed to this report.