Gov. declares West Nile emergency in three California counties

By GARANCE BURKE
08/02/07 18:10:24

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Thursday in three
California counties hit hard by the mosquito-borne West Nile virus, which
has killed four this year and appears to be spreading at a rapid clip.

The emergency declaration applies to Kern, Colusa and San Joaquin counties,
and will provide up to $1.35 million to help combat the spread of the
virus, Schwarzenegger said.

West Nile is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites, and so far this
year has infected three times more people than it did in the same period in
2006, he said.

The disease's epicenter thus far is Kern County, which has logged
two-thirds of the state's 56 West Nile cases this year including an
85-year-old Shafter man and a 96-year-old Bakersfield woman from
Bakersfield who died last month. Health officials announced the state's
third and fourth fatalities this week: two elderly residents of San Joaquin
and Colusa counties.

Schwarzenegger met with Kern County mosquito control officials Thursday.

"Last year it was down, this year it has increased again," Schwarzenegger
said. "The important thing is that we all go all out and we work together,
the counties and the state, in order to get the job done and get rid of the
virus."

Most infected people never get sick, but up to about 20 percent develop
mostly mild flu-like symptoms. Severe symptoms, including fatal brain
inflammation, are rare.

Health officials recommend people avoid infection by staying inside at dawn
and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active; wearing clothes that keep
mosquitoes away from the skin; draining areas where mosquitoes can breed;
and using insecticide with the chemical DEET.

In Sacramento County, authorities said Monday that West Nile had reached an
epidemic rate there and had to be combatted with a mass aerial-spraying
campaign - often considered a last resort. More than 55,000 acres of urban
neighborhoods north of the American River were scheduled to be sprayed.

Health officials in San Jose said Thursday that a Santa Clara County
resident had become infected, in their first local case this year.

In Kern County, the new funds won't be enough to educate the public in time
for the disease's high season in August and September, said Sen. Dean
Florez, D-Shafter.

The state needs to provide a more consistent budget for eradication efforts
in winter months, hire more vector control officers and coordinate
surveillance efforts with real estate agents, who can provide updated
information about vacant properties where standing water could provide the
insects with a fertile breeding ground, he said.

"Next season could be quite possibly worse than this year unless we get a
new infusion of money," Florez said.

Schwarzenegger said he was directing state agencies to take proactive
measures, and that more funds could be made available if needed.

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