GILROY
– Since the discovery of West Nile virus in a Santa Clara County
crow last week, county officials say they’ve been inundated with
reports of dead birds that could possibly harbor the virus. None
have officially tested positive.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – Since the discovery of West Nile virus in a Santa Clara County crow last week, county officials say they’ve been inundated with reports of dead birds that could possibly harbor the virus. None have officially tested positive.
The county’s dead bird hotline, which residents may call to report a dead bird that does not appear to have died from an injury, has received 126 calls since West Nile virus was confirmed in a San Jose-area bird last Wednesday.
That number of calls is a significant increase from the one to three calls per week the hotline had been receiving, said Kriss Costa, spokeswoman for the county’s Vector Control District, responsible for abating mosquitos and preventing the virus in the area.
Vector Control did investigate most of the reports, although not all the cases were appropriate, Costa said.
Two crows, in the East San Jose area near where the West Nile case was found, “came up suspect,” she said, and are undergoing complete testing by UC Davis’ Center for Vector-borne Diseases. The results take between 10 and 14 days.
“The question comes up, is it more birds, or is it awareness?” Costa said. “I think it’s awareness.”
Costa encouraged residents to continue to call the dead bird hotline if a bird has been dead less than 24 hours and does not appear to have suffered an injury.
“It’s awareness and not panic that we’re trying to get out there,” Costa said. “West Nile hasn’t got a real big grip on our county yet.”
Last week’s confirmation of West Nile virus was the first such discover in Santa Clara County. Southern California already has been hard-hit this summer. More than half the 981 infected birds were from Los Angeles County and nearly 300 others were in San Bernardino County.
If this county were as hard hit, it’s likely the dead birds would be difficult to miss.
“(Southern California officials said) that when it hit heavy, when it really hit, that birds were falling from the sky,” Costa said. “And those were the crows – the crows are really affected by this.”
According to the California Department of Health Services, other birds that are most often infected with the virus include ravens, finches, hawks, raptors and jays.
The county’s Vector Control will not test pigeons, doves, ducks or chickens, Costa said.
Earlier this summer, the county began a ramped-up surveillance of known mosquito-breeding areas, in anticipation of West Nile’s arrival here. Vector Control technicians check hot spots at least once a week, making surveillance the top priority for mosquito and West Nile abatement.
Costa noted that the county also is receiving hundreds of calls from residents concerned about possible backyard mosquito breeding grounds in their neighborhood yards. Controlling the mosquito population is necessary to keep West Nile virus from taking hold in Santa Clara County because humans are only infected when bitten by a contaminated insect. No mosquitos with the virus have been found to date.
“I really think the residents have been preparing for this by getting rid of water, and if we can keep the mosquito population down, it’s going to show us that we can have fewer and fewer infections here,” Costa said. “The calls from residents concerning potential sources in their neighborhood are also considered a top priority.”
