Los Gatos Weekly-Times

News

Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Michael Stephenson, a vector control technician and disease surveillance specialist, tests a dead crow found in the San Jose area.

Saratoga, W. San Jose men contract West Nile virus

By Alicia Upano

The Santa Clara County Vector Control District has completed its ground fogging for West Nile virus-carrying mosquitoes in the Campbell and West San Jose area, and the agency is moving into neighboring Saratoga.

Saratoga is the next target because a 65-year-old resident is the county's first confirmed case of West Nile virus in 2006.

Vector control is reviewing a second case in Cupertino. There is also a third case reported in West San Jose, a 53-year-old male. On Aug. 17 the California Department of Health Services announced its first West Nile virus-related death in Butte County.

Both the Saratoga and W. San Jose men were active and could have been infected at their homes or while outdoors. The Saratoga man is a golfer and tennis player.

"Clearly this news is a disappointment for us here at the district," said Santa Clara County Vector Control District manager Tim Mulligan during an Aug. 16 press conference. "There will probably be additional cases."

Mulligan had voiced his concern about the spread of the virus earlier at an Aug. 9 community meeting in Campbell. He said without ground fogging in the area, a "virus epidemic" could break out.

The Saratoga and Cupertino cases have spurred additional rounds of mosquito fogging for the area. An area bordered by Highway 85 to Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga-Sunnyvale, Quito and Saratoga-Los Gatos roads has been scheduled for fogging on Aug. 23 from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

A meeting to address the fogging has been scheduled for Aug. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Saratoga Civic Theater, 13777 Fruitvale Avenue.

More than a dozen dead birds have tested positive for the virus in Saratoga this year. However, only two birds have tested positive so far in Los Gatos--one on July 12 and the other on Aug. 3.

"Vasona Lake is a known source that is constantly checked," said Kriss Kosta, an education specialist for the vector control district. "If they see any mosquito development there, they treat it right away. It's the backyard sources that are our biggest headache. We don't have access to people's back yards and that's where the majority of mosquitoes come from."

The Saratoga man began showing symptoms--fever, fatigue, muscle ache and a rash--on July 28, said Sara Cody, deputy health officer in the county public health department. The man received outpatient care and has recovered.

The W. San Jose man, engineer Kamlapati Khalsa, began showing symptoms a month ago, according to his wife, Katie Cooney. His diagnosis was confirmed Aug. 15 by by his primary-care physician. Symptoms began as an on-again, off-again fever that Khalsa shrugged off. Then two weeks ago he got a skin rash, followed by leg cramping, constant hiccups and a fever of 103 degrees. The rash disappeared, but the fever worsened and Khalsa was exhausted, Cooney said.

Khalsa's initial blood work came back normal, but Cooney was suspicious that her husband may have contracted West Nile virus, after she recalled seeing a mosquito bite on his back a few weeks ago. Cooney had frequently called vector control to report dead birds in her neighborhood.

By Aug. 10, Khalsa had a stiff neck, a telltale sign of viral meningitis, which is caused by West Nile virus. He was also tested for encephalitis, or swelling of the brain. He tested negative for encephalitis and positive for West Nile virus.

There is no medication to combat the virus once it enters the human body. It has to work its way through. Sometimes individual symptoms may be treated, Costa said. Khalsa is taking only Tylenol every four hours.

Khalsa is sleeping more than 20 hours a day until the symptoms cease. Symptoms can last anywhere from one to four weeks, district community resource specialist Kriss Costa said.

"He's gotten a lot better," Cooney said. "I think the biggest thing is just getting the fever down and trying to heal from this."

Khalsa's case is more severe than what most individuals will experience if they are bitten by a mosquito carrying West Nile virus.

Only 1 percent of those infected contract meningitis or paralysis or are left in a coma. Twenty percent will display feverish symptoms like the Saratoga man, and 80 percent will show no symptoms at all. The incubation period before symptoms appear can range from three to 14 days. People over 50 have a higher risk of getting a severe form of the virus.

"It's worrisome if those who may be really old or really young got it," Cooney said. "They might not be as lucky as my husband."

Individuals who do become infected with West Nile will probably build up sufficient antibodies to ward off a severe infection should they contract the virus a second time, Cody said.

The good news, Cody said, is West Nile virus is "extremely preventable."

Cody emphasized the need for well-fitting screen doors and windows, wearing repellant and eliminating all standing water--even as little as an inch deep.

The district has also addressed large bodies of water such as backyard pools. A July 21 aerial survey showed 212 backyard pools that could be mosquito breeding grounds in Santa Clara County. Of those pools, 63 were considered high priority; seven were in Campbell.

District representatives have spoken to nearly 100 residents with suspicious or mosquito-breeding swimming pools about treating the water with a mosquito-killing agent, Mulligan said. Owners who don't want to maintain their pool may also turn the water into a fish pond full of mosquito fish, provided free by the district. These measures, along with the recent foggings, should help keep the mosquito population down in the area.

However, at a Campbell community meeting, residents expressed safety concerns over the use of pyrethrin, an organic insecticide that is derived from the chrysanthemum flower, to fog the hot zones. Costa said there have been no documented cases of insecticide poisoning or illness since the pyrethrin fogging began in 1999 against virus-carrying mosquitoes.

Residents do not have to go to extra lengths when fogging is scheduled; however, Costa said, "people can use any means to feel comfortable."

Residents who want to ensure their safety can close their windows, or leave the area on nights fogging is scheduled.

Neighbors can find out the latest fogging activity by calling the district's hotline or signing up for email alerts through its website. The email service will notify all subscribers of any fogging in Santa Clara County 24 hours prior to it happening.

The fogging typically follows the trail of dead birds, Costa said, encouraging residents to report any crows, ravens, magpies, jays, hawks, falcons, eagles or owls that have been dead for less than 48 hours. These birds are "reservoir hosts" that carry the virus in their blood. The district recommends residents not touch the birds with bare hands.

West Nile virus season is half over, but there are still 11/2 months of significant concern, Mulligan said.

In California last year, 19 deaths were attributed to West Nile virus, and five area residents were infected during the season. However, no deaths have occurred in Santa Clara County due to the virus.

But this year's combination of rainfall and hot weather triggered a bumper crop of mosquitoes, and the early onset of the virus. Last year in the Willow Glen neighborhood, the district found 20 percent more mosquitoes above the "acceptable" threshold. Additionally, most of the birds found with the West Nile virus came from Willow Glen and the surrounding areas that year. This year Willow Glen has not been at the center of the problem, but residents still need to be vigilant.

The West Nile virus has been found in Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East before it was detected in New York City in 1999. California reported its first case in 2002. California has reported 49 cases so far this year, the majority in Kern and Yolo counties.

Jason Sweeney contributed to this story

Basic Guidelines for West Nile Virus:

Symptoms and Sources Symptoms of West Nile Virus

* 80 percent of people who are infected with West Nile will have no illness.

* The 20 percent who become infected will develop West Nile fever and mild
symptoms, including headache, body aches, possible skin rash on the trunk of
the body and swollen lymph glands

* 1 percent of those infected have severe reactions. These individuals develop
West Nile encephalitis or meningitis, headaches, neck stiffness, disorientation,
muscle weakness, convulsions, tremors and paralysis.

What is the Incubation period?

The incubation for the virus (from time of infection to onset of symptoms) is three to 14 days.

How long does it last?

Mild symptoms can last from a few days to several weeks. In severe cases, symptoms can last several weeks and neurological effects can be permanent.

The is no specific treatment. People with the virus recover on their own, though aspirin or Tylenol are often prescribed.

Those with severe infections are hospitalized and may require intravenous fluids and respiratory support.

Get more information

To reach vector control or learn more about West Nile virus, here are the ways:

Mosquito sources:

Mosquitoes breed where water collects and stagnates such as in possible sources below:

* Decorative pond- stock with
mosquito fish free from vector
control

* Swimming pool/spa-operate
filter and skimmer every day

* Pool/spa covers- remove water
from top

* Wading pool

* Bird bath

* Tree hole

* Rain gutters

* Containers, such as unused flower pots, buckets, wheel- barrows,

* Boats stored on property

* Tires-drill holes so water drains

To report dead birds, call 877.968.2473.

To sign up for email fogging alerts, visit www.sccvector.org.

District hotline 800.314.2427 or 408.792.5010.

For more information about West Nile, visit http://westnile.ca.gov. or the Santa Clara Health Department website at http://www.sccg ov.org/portal/site/phd/.

For more information about insect repellant products such as DEET, call 888.662.4837 or visit www.deetonline.org.

WEST NILE VIRUS

How to safely handle dead birds Call vector control within 48 hours if you find a dead crow, raven, magpie, jay or bird like a hawk or falcon.

Vector control does not pick up pigeons, doves or small birds

* Do not touch a dead bird with bare hands. Use gloves or multiple double bags and place the bird in a heavy-duty plastic bag.

* Do not let your clothes come in contact with the bird or any secretions from the dead bird.

* Tightly seal the plastic bag.

* If instructed to dispose of the bird, make sure that the trash container is secure from children and animals.

* Wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap after disposal. If you wore gloves to dispose of the dead bird, wash your gloved hands and then wash your bare hands thoroughly removing gloves.

To report the dead bird contact the California Department of Health Services, 1.877. 968.2473