(July 8, 2008, updated with details) -- As first reported on LBReport.com's front page (www.lbreport.com) Monday (July 7), West Nile Virus (WNV) has been detected in mosquitoes in the City of LB.
A release from LB's Dept. of Health & Human Services indicates that "tests from last week returned positive for WNV from two locations" without specifics on the locations or dates when the infected mosquitoes were collected.
[Update] Reached after business hours on Monday (July 7), LB Health officer Dr. Helene Calvet, MD said she didn't have the paperwork at hand...and on Tuesday July 8 told LBReport.com the two locations were in the 3600 block of Stearnlee Ave. (west of Bellflower Blvd., between Monlaco Ave. and Conant St.) and the Hamilton Bowl area (PCH @ Gaviota Ave.) [end update]
Dr. Calvet strongly cautioned against focusing too heavily on the specific locations...because mosquitoes travel, and the latest test results come from mosquitoes collected over a week ago...meaning WNV infected mosquitoes may already be in additional parts of LB.
For these reasons, with WNV active in any parts of the area, it's smarter to presume WNV could be in any parts of LB and take precautions against mosquito bites in all parts of LB.
In 2004, WNV arrived in southern California after marching relentlessly across country from the east coast, reaching what mosquito experts called "epidemic" levels in southern California...and hit LB hard.
An elderly ELB woman (in the area of Clark Ave/Wardlow Rd.) died...and 15 other LB residents were confirmed to have contracted the virus transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito.
WNV's 2004 arrival in LB was first detected in trapped mosquitoes, followed by the ominous appearance a few weeks later of dead crows visible in neighborhoods across the city. The bite of a WNV-infected mosquito is virtually always fatal to a crow...and the dead crows indicated that a sufficient percentage of LB mosquitoes had become infected with WNV...increasing the odds that any LB mosquito bite might contain WNV.
Most humans who are bitten and become infected show no symptoms, a LB Health Dept. release says. The WNV virus' signs and symptoms in people "may include fever, body aches, rash, nausea, vomiting and headache...but about one in 150 may develop more serious disease, such as brain inflammation or paralysis. Persons with these symptoms should seek immediate care, the release says..and urges residents to protect themselves by taking the following precautions:
- Avoid mosquito-infested areas, especially at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
- Eliminate standing water on your property by dumping or draining water in neglected ponds, birdbaths, fountains, buckets, old tires or anything that can hold water. Dumping or draining water will interrupt the mosquito life cycle.
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
- Use mosquito repellant containing DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. Residents should follow repellant instructions on the label. Consult with your child's pediatrician for appropriate concentrations of DEET to be used on children under the age of 2.
- Keep tight-fitting screens on doors and windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering homes and check to make sure your window screens are in good condition.
- Maintain all swimming pools in a clean and sanitary manner, with all circulation and filtration equipment operational and chemical levels within recommended guidelines; drain water from pool covers.
- Limit the watering of lawns and outdoor plants to twice a week to avoid run off to gutters and around sprinklers. Do not over-water plants or lawns to avoid creating pools of standing water.
To view the Health Dept's WNV info page, click here.
To download a brochure with useful info, click here.
The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District handles mosquito abatement in roughly half of LB: ELB areas north of PCH and east of Lakewood Blvd.
LB's Dept. of Health and Human Services handles mosquito abatement for most of the other half of LB except for LB's NW corner...which is handled by Compton.
