Lyon mosquitoes carrying virus

Wednesday, July 21, 2004 | 9:30 a.m.

Mosquitoes collected from Lyon County in Northern Nevada have tested positive for the West Nile virus, the Nevada Agriculture Department said Tuesday.

The latest find in Fernley and Silver Springs, towns northeast of Carson City, came after a report Monday that a dead crow found in a yard of the state capital also tested positive, the first hard evidence of the virus in the state, officials said.

No residents have been known to contract the virus in Nevada.

Because mosquitoes transmit the virus through biting humans and animals, state Health Officer Bradford Lee said he could "not stress enough the importance of everyone, especially people 50 years and older, to use repellent containing DEET and wear long sleeves, pants and socks when outside."

Any standing water, even in a barrel or old tire, should be drained and window screens should be intact to keep insects out of the home, Lee said.

Mosquito control efforts are being increased in the affected communities, Lee said.

State Veterinarian David Thain said that people should advise local health officials if they see any dead or sick birds. In Clark County the number to call is 383-1251.

Thain also urged horse owners to vaccinate their animals against the virus as soon as possible.

The West Nile virus has infected and killed horses in Southern California along the Santa Ana River where mosquitos carry the disease, officials said. At least 26 horses have been infected this year in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Eleven of those horses died, Thain said. Only one horse in California was infected with West Nile virus last year.

Nevada officials said mosquito trapping and bird surveillance will increase statewide over the next few weeks and possibly months, as the extent of the virus becomes known.

The monitoring is part of a statewide effort coordinated in response to dangers posed by the mosquito-borne disease nationwide.

Colorado was hardest hit by the virus last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That state recorded 2,947 people with the disease and 61 dying. Nationwide 262 people died in 2003, the CDC reported.

One out of 150 infections can progress to potentially life-threatening inflammations of the brain or nervous system, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Two Nevadans were infected with West Nile virus last year, but both contracted the disease while out of state, officials said.