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W. Nile Virus Pervades Parish More Mosquitoes, Birds Test Positive for Disease

Posted on: Monday, 15 August 2005, 18:01 CDT

More than half of the mosquitoes captured to determine the presence of West Nile virus in East Baton Rouge were positive for the disease.

Fifty-two percent of the 157 samples of mosquitoes submitted to LSU School of Veterinary Medicine tested positive for West Nile virus, according to parish mosquito control Director Matt Yates.

The virus has infected at least 26 people, including about a dozen in the Baton Rouge area. Symptoms can range from flulike effects to paralysis and death.

"The samples were collected from 23 different locations throughout the parish. In addition, six sentinel chickens and eight live birds tested positive for the virus," said Yates, director of the East Baton Rouge Parish Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control District.

State health officials also notified mosquito control about eight dead birds submitted to them between July 26 and Aug. 2 and that tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus, Yates said.

"So, West Nile virus is present in all parts of the parish," he said.

"One concern about this week's information centers on the number of species of mosquitoes that tested positive for West Nile virus," he said.

The Southern house mosquito and Asian tiger mosquito have been positive in previous tests, but now the northern floodwater mosquito is also showing presence of the virus, Yates said.

Both the northern floodwater and Asian tiger "are very aggressive human biters and research has shown that they are very efficient at transmitting West Nile virus," Yates said.

The Asian tiger mosquito lives around homes and businesses and bites during the day. It does not fly far from where it breeds.

The northern floodwater mosquito breeds in the forest and bites outdoors during the day or night.

"People who frequent the forest, or who live adjacent to frequently flooded wooded areas are at greatest risk from this mosquito," Yates said. "But under some conditions, it will fly quite some distance from the breeding sites into urban areas."

It is "especially important that residents should not let down their guard and continue to protect themselves from mosquito bites," Yates said.

Source: Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.

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