West Nile virus season ends

COLUMBIA BASIN — The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) declared the 2009 West Nile virus season, the most active on record, is over.

The 2009 season ended as cold fall weather approached. August is generally the peak of the season, according to a DOH representative.

As of Thursday, 36 people tested positive for West Nile infection in Washington state during the season. A Yakima County woman in her 70s was the state’s first death from the virus, according to a DOH representative.

A Moses Lake woman tested positive for West Nile in September. She was not hospitalized and recovered at home, according to a Grant County Health District representative at the time.

DOH reported Washington state had the nation’s highest number of horses infected with West Nile virus. Nearly half of all horses infected either died from the illness or were euthanized.

A horse in Adam’s County tested positive for West Nile Virus in August. Adams County Health Department reported the horse had not been vaccinated for the virus and received treatment at a local veterinarian clinic, during the time.

Ten mosquito samples and eight horses in Grant County tested positive for West Nile virus this year. This season’s environmental monitoring shows the virus is firmly established in Eastern Washington and continues to spread in Western Washington, according to the Washington State Department of Health.

West Nile virus is a bird disease spread to people and animals by infected mosquitoes. In about 80 percent of cases, those infected do not display any symptoms.

Only 20 percent of infections result in symptoms, referred to as West Nile fever. Symptoms may include fever, headache, body aches, skin rash and swollen lymph glands, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web site.

DOH reports the best way to reduce the chance of infection is to avoid mosquito bites. Even though cold weather has reduced the risk of mosquito bites, the state health department encourages residents to take preventive actions that are helpful in the off season.

Suggestions include dumping out water collecting around the house and cleaning gutters so they are free of debris.

State and local public health agencies, mosquito control districts, other state agencies, and volunteers participate in West Nile virus environmental monitoring. DOH reported they have also began using an online dead bird reporting system to help local health partners track dead bird sightings in their communities.

For more information, visit the DOH Web site at www.doh.wa.gov/wnv.