(August 15, 2004) -- An expert with the agency battling mosquitoes in a wide area of L.A. County (including ELB, east of Lakewood Blvd., north of PCH) has said he wouldn't be surprised to see a thousand or more West Nile Virus human cases in California this year.

Mr. Minoo Madon, Scientific-Technical Services Director for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District (GLACVCD), told an August 12 meeting of the agency's governing Board of Trustees:

"We are in the middle of an epidemic. It just happens that we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg at the moment. The real action hasn't begun yet..."

In a plain spoken assessment, Mr. Madon added:

Mr. Madon noted that the state of Colorado had roughly 3,000 West Nile human cases last year with a smaller population than L.A. County.

[The Centers for Disease Control's web site says Colorado had 2,947 human cases with 63 deaths in 2003. The U.S. Census "QuickFacts" web site estimates Colorado's 2003 population was just over 4.5 million while L.A. County's 2003 population was nearly 9.9 million; the CA Dept. of Finance says L.A. County topped 10.1 million as of January 1, 2004.]

California's Dept. of Health Services has separately reported on the spread of the mosquito-borne West Nile Virus (WNV) from southern California's inland areas into the L.A. metro area and central and northern parts of the state. Humans can become infected when bitten by a WNV-infected mosquito; mosquitoes become infected by biting birds (especially crows) previously bitten by an infected mosquito; the birds spread the infection considerable distances. In a period of just a few years, WNV has marched across the country from its original appearance on the east coast.

West Nile Virus produces no symptoms in roughly 80% of those bitten by infected mosquitoes, but causes flu-like symptoms in about 20%. It can lead to encephalitis (brain swelling) or meningitis in about 1 in 150 people bitten by WNV infected mosquitoes. There is no cure, only supportive therapies which include hospitalization in serious cases.

As of this article's August 15 posting, there are over 50 confirmed human West Nile cases in L.A. County with five deaths confirmed statewide...two of which (confirmed to posting date) were in L.A. County and one of which was in LB.

The Greater L.A. County Vector Control District isn't a "County" district; it's a "special district" funded by a property tax assessment. It handles mosquito and vector abatement in roughly half of LB (east of Lakewood Blvd. and north of PCH) plus much of the eastern half of L.A. County (excluding the San Gabriel and Pomona valleys), covering communities along the San Gabriel and L.A. rivers...and the San Fernando valley and the Santa Clarita area.

LB's Dept. of Health and Human Services handles the central and western half of LB, with LB's northwest corner handled by a Compton mosquito abatement district.

In a previously issued written release, LB's Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said: