West Nile virus found, identified
MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Mosquito Control District received word of a positive West Nile virus mosquito sample. The sample was found east of Dodson Road near Winchester Wasteway.
MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Mosquito Control District received word of a positive West Nile virus mosquito sample.
The sample was found east of Dodson Road near Winchester Wasteway. This is the first detection of the virus in Washington state this year, according to a Grant County Health District spokesperson.
“This positive sample of mosquitoes tells us we have West Nile virus in our environment and residents need to take extra precaution when entering areas where mosquitoes might be located,” stated Ann Moser, the mosquito control district’s vector ecologist.
The West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne illness. It’s spread to humans and mammals through the bite of an infected mosquito.
The virus is rarely spread through transfusions and transplants and can’t be caught through touching, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Web site.
The mosquito control district uses mosquito testing to monitor virus activity in Grant County. The surveillance program uses adult mosquitoes to test for disease.
“The district’s disease monitoring system is an early-warning system allowing us to better protect the community by getting into the areas where known disease-carrying mosquitoes are present and controlling them before they reach epidemic proportions,” said Dan Couture, district manager for the mosquito control district.
The mosquito control district employees plan on releasing ultra-low mosquito-killing spray throughout the county in attempts to slow down the progression of the virus into more populated areas. They are spraying from trucks and planes.
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) declared the 2009 West Nile virus season the most active on record. Ten mosquito samples, eight horses and one female resident in Grant County tested positive for West Nile virus last year.
In Adams County, a horse tested positive for West Nile Virus last August. Adams County Health Department reported the horse had not been vaccinated for the virus and received treatment at a local veterinary clinic during the time.
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 CDC’s Web site.
Health district workers urge residents and visitors to take appropriate precautions to avoid mosquito bites. These precautions include: staying indoors at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are the most active, using mosquito repellent, making sure windows and doors are closed tightly and repairing or replacing screens.
Residents are also advised to help eliminate mosquito breeding habitats by emptying or discarding anything that holds standing water: bottles, cans, old tires, buckets, plastic covers and toys. Residents should change water in birdbaths, fountains, wading pools, and animal troughs at least twice each week, make sure roof gutters drain properly and clean clogged gutters in the spring and fall.
In addition to the mosquito surveillance done by Grant County Mosquito Control District 1, there is ongoing surveillance of the virus in dead birds. Residents can report a dead bird by calling the Grant County Health District at 509-754-6060 or online at www.granthealth.org/westnilevirus.html.
For more information, visit the CDC’s Web site at www.cdc.gov, the DOH Web site at www.doh.wa.gov/wnv or call Grant County Mosquito Control District 1 at 509-765-7731.