Politics & Government

Case of West Nile Virus Confirmed in Moorpark

The disease, detected in a dead bird, is the first reported case in Ventura County this year.

A dead wild bird found in Moorpark has tested positive for West Nile virus, the state Department of Health has confirmed. It is the first case of the disease reported in Ventura County this year.

Moorpark's Vector Control Division, which monitors mosquitoes and the virus, collected the bird on the west edge of the city on June 14 and confirmation came from the state on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the city on Friday.

West Nile virus is a potentially serious illness spread to humans by bites from mosquitoes infected with the virus. However, no cases of human infection have yet been reported in the state this year.

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According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 80 percent of people who are infected with West Nile virus do not show any symptoms.

People with mild cases may suffer fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last from a few days to several weeks.

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About one in 150 people infected with the virus develop severe symptoms, including convulsions, vision loss, paralysis and even coma.

People typically develop symptoms between three and 14 days after they are bitten by the infected mosquito, according to the CDC. There is no specific treatment for West Nile virus infection.

Though no equine cases have been reported this year, the virus also affects horses.  In its statement Friday, the city of Moorpark recommended horse owners contact their veterinarians for information about preventive measures.

Mark Westerline, vector/animal control specialist for the city, said there is an equine vaccine that many horse owners use routinely on their animals.

"Usually, if a horse gets West Nile, it doesn't turn out well. Usually the horse gets put down," he said.

The city's Vector Control staff routinely monitors and controls mosquito breeding sources throughout Moorpark. In response to the recent West Nile virus finding, the area where the bird was found will be inspected and treated. Staff also will set out traps, which will be used to determine mosquito population densities and species.

"We usually have trouble catching enough live mosquitoes and have to resort to testing the birds," Westerline said.

The city also keeps what experts in the area call a sentinel flock of chickens in the center of town to monitor the virus and mosquito activity. The birds are checked every two weeks, Westerline said.

Elsewhere in the county, the Ventura County Environmental Health division has been monitoring traps and checking for the virus. So far, findings have been negative, said Randy Smith of the division; however, the division hasn't received the results of the latest checks, he said.

So far this year, 23 birds in seven counties have been identified with West Nile virus, according to the state's Department of Public Health West Nile Virus website, which also indicated four cases  of the virus have been reported in Los Angeles County, four in Orange County and a few in Northern California.


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