Two Crows Test Positive for West Nile in California

Aug. 11–Alameda County health officials said two crows discovered earlier this week in the Tri-Valley tested positive for the West Nile virus.

The two crows, found Monday in Livermore and Pleasanton, bring to four the total number of birds infected with West Nile found this year in Alameda County.

The findings came the same day the California Department of Health Services confirmed that last month’s death of an elderly Fresno County man was due to complications of West Nile virus. Earlier this year, two other people died in Kings and Riverside counties from West Nile-related complications.

“It seems the virus is sweeping south to north in the state,” said Dr. Robert Benjamin, deputy health officer for Alameda County.

The California Department of Health Services reports there have been 118 human West Nile virus infections from 16 counties in California. In Contra Costa County, 14 birds have tested positive for the virus. No human cases have been found in Contra Costa.

To minimize the risks of contracting West Nile, health agencies suggest people should eliminate standing pools of water on their property where mosquitoes can breed, and use insect repellent. They also recommend that people should regularly clean plant saucers, bird baths and other standing water containers and keep swimming pools chlorinated.

To get more information about West Nile, visit the Alameda County Public Health Department’s Web site at acgov.org/PublicHealth/wnv/.

To report a dead bird in Alameda County, call Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District at 510-783-7744 or the California Department of Health Services at 877-968-2473. In Albany, call Alameda County Vector Control Services at 510-567-6800.

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