West Nile virus found in Colusa County bird

A dead bird found in Colusa County is the first this year to carry the West Nile virus, pest control officers announced Wednesday.

An infected Western scrub jay was discovered July 29 in Grimes, according to David Whitesell, manager of the Colusa Mosquito Abatement District. Tests by the state Department of Public Health revealed traces of West Nile, a sometimes fatal virus mosquitoes carry to birds, horses and people.

The bird was found outside the Colusa mosquito district, which currently sprays pesticides only over an eighth of the county. A mail-in vote, which begins this month, asks the county’s landowners to approve a property tax increase to expand the district into the Interstate 5 corridor and the Grimes area.

Colusa becomes the third of four Mid-Valley counties to report the virus’ presence this summer. At least 13 birds have been killed by West Nile in Butte County, along with two birds in Sutter County, according to the state health department.

Although finds of infected birds – the most common marker of West Nile’s spread – are nearly doubling last year’s pace, human illnesses from the virus are sharply lower locally and statewide.

No Mid-Valley residents have yet been sickened this year, while eight had fallen ill at the same time in 2007, with one Colusa-area woman dying in July. So far, human cases have fallen from 87 a year ago to 38 this year, with almost all the illnesses reported in Southern California.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
• Colusa Mosquito Abatement District: 458-4966
The district will continue taking reports of West Nile-infected birds in the Grimes ZIP code (95950), but will not retrieve any more birds there.
• Sutter-Yuba Mosquito Vector Control District 674-5456
• Butte County Mosquito and Vector Control District 533-6038

More information is available at 877-WNV-BIRD (968-2473) or  “http://www.westnile.ca.gov”www.westnile.ca.gov.

Contact Howard Yune at 458-2121 or hyune@tcnpress.com.