First '07 West Nile case in Bay Area reported

MONTE SERENO MAN RECOVERING; EMERGENCY DECLARED IN 3 COUNTIES
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
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A 73-year-old Monte Sereno man is recovering from West Nile virus in the Bay Area's first case of the disease this year, Santa Clara County public health officials said Thursday.

The announcement came the same day that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Kern, Colusa and San Joaquin counties, where four people have died this year from the mosquito-borne disease. Schwarzenegger diverted $1.5 million from various state agencies to help local authorities fight West Nile.

The Santa Clara County man, whose name was not released, was briefly hospitalized last month and is recovering at home, said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, the county's public health officer.

Fenstersheib said the man was most likely infected in the first two weeks of July, but it was unclear where, because he had also traveled to the Sacramento delta area during that time. The man did not recall being bitten by a mosquito, Fenstersheib said.

The man saw his doctor after experiencing fever, a rash, headache and muscle weakness that made it difficult for him to walk. Physicians believe he had the more severe neuroinvasive form of the disease, which strikes one in 150 people infected with the potentially fatal virus.

The virus, which first surfaced in New York City in 1999, infects humans and animals through mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds. Most people who contract the disease do not experience any symptoms, although some suffer mild or moderate fevers and body aches. Less than 1 percent will develop a serious illness such as encephalitis or meningitis.

Nationally and statewide, this is one of the worst West Nile seasons to date, according to public health experts. At least 57 human cases have been reported in California so far, nearly three times as many as this time last year.

Most have occurred in Kern County. Across the country, the number of West Nile infections has more than doubled since this time last year, with 185 cases, five of them fatal, reported to date, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Local vector control officials have recently stepped up "fogging" with insecticides in areas with high levels of West Nile virus activity.

Early Thursday morning, parts of San Jose, Campbell and Los Gatos were treated with pesticide, following several fogging forays in recent weeks. To determine the success of Thursday's fogging, mosquito traps placed in the treated areas will be collected Friday. Test results should be completed and posted by Monday on the vector control Web site at http://sccvector.org.

The Monte Sereno man lives about a half-mile from one of the areas that was recently fogged, public health spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said.

People can prevent mosquito bites by using insect repellent and wearing long sleeves and pants at dusk and at dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. Homeowners should check their back yards for standing water, which provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

There is no human vaccine for the disease, but several are in development.

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED
For local information, call the county's West Nile virus hotline at (800) 314-2427 or visit www.sccvector. org. More information about the virus also can be found at www.westnile.ca.gov and www.cdc.gov/westnile.

Mercury News Staff Writer Mark Gomez contributed to this report.

Contact Barbara Feder Ostrov at bfeder@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5064.

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