Gilroy
– It was only a matter of time.
Over the past month, West Nile virus killed birds in San Jose
and Gilroy, and Thursday, it was found in a bird from Morgan
Hill.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – It was only a matter of time.
Over the past month, West Nile virus killed birds in San Jose and Gilroy, and Thursday, it was found in a bird from Morgan Hill.
A barn owl found several weeks ago in the east foothills of Morgan Hill, off Dunne Avenue, was confirmed positive with West Nile virus.
Bringing the total number of infected birds found in the county to 21, the Santa Clara County Vector Control District also received confirmation that a hawk from Los Altos and six other birds from San Jose tested positive.
It is the second bird West Nile infection in South County, following one case in Gilroy earlier this month. That bird, a house sparrow, was found near Princevalle and Eighth streets.
First detected in the U.S. in 1999, West Nile virus is found in birds and spread to humans and other animals through the bite of an infected mosquito.
Although it rarely causes illness or death in humans, even after such a bite, West Nile has killed nine people in California this year and infected 280, mostly in Southern California.
The county’s vector control still is asking residents to report dead birds – that haven’t died from an injury and have been dead less than 48 hours – either by calling its department, the state’s dead bird hotline, or online.
“We are asking residents to be patient and to understand that not all dead birds will be picked up,” said Kriss Costa, vector control’s community education specialist. “The state is only testing certain species of birds, so residents may be asked to dispose of the bird themselves.”
Due to the high volume of dead birds being called in, the county’s only testing crows, ravens, magpies, jays and birds of prey.
Residents also are being asked to keep mosquito populations at bay by checking for any standing water, to help prevent West Nile’s spread.
Vector Control District: 792-5010; state’s dead bird hotline: 1-877-968-2473; or report online: www.westnile.ca.gov.
