Officials hope for mild West Nile season

Published 5:00 am Thursday, May 22, 2003

State health officials are hesitantly optimistic that the statemay have grounded the West Nile virus this year.

Only three dead birds in Hinds County have tested positive forthe virus so far this season, according to Kelly Shannon, a publicrelations officer with the state Department of Health.

West Nile is a virus transmitted to humans and horses bymosquitoes. The virus is carried by birds and transferred bymosquitoes when the insect bites a bird and later a human orhorse.

Mosquitoes emerge from their self-induced sleep in early spring,said Sally Slavinski, a health department epidemiologist. Slavinskiurged caution. The season is still young, but looks positive.

“We really don’t know what to expect this year,” she said. “Thatdepends on the mosquito.”

The three birds testing positive for the virus were found inFebruary, but there have been no further reports. The healthdepartment is continuing to test birds, mosquitoes and humans forthe virus.

The health department began gathering mosquito pools, a testingbatch of mosquitoes from the same area, earlier this month, shesaid. They started in areas that reported heavy infestation lastyear, but so far the results have all shown negative results.

“It looks like West Nile is here to stay, but we may not have amajor outbreak again,” Slavinski said.

The mosquito health officials believe to be most responsible forWest Nile in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas is the Culexfamily, or the Southern House Mosquito.

It feeds primarily at dawn and dusk and likes to breed instanding, still water with organic matter. They prefer leakingseptic tanks and drainage ditches, but any standing water willsuffice.

Health officials recommend people protect themselves from thevirus by using mosquito repellents with DEET and eliminate sourcesof standing water near their homes.

A well-maintained pool should be safe from breeding mosquitoes,according to Dr. Jerome Goddard, a state entomologist, but thosethat go unkempt can serve as a breeding ground.

Other tips for homeowners are to irrigate lawns and gardens witha minimum of excess water; empty plastic wading pools at leastweekly; change the water in bird baths or potted plants weekly;store boats covered or upside down; stock ornamental ponds withtop-feeding minnows; keep rain gutters unclogged and flat roofsdry; and drain or fill stagnant pools, puddles, ditches or otherswampy places around the home.

For more information on the West Nile virus, contact theFight the Bite! hotline at 1-877-WST-NILE or visit the healthdepartment website, updated weekly, atwww.msdh.state.ms.us.