Area mosquitoes carry West Nile virus

Dan Kulin

Friday, July 30, 2004 | 11:04 a.m.

Tests have confirmed that a Las Vegas resident had the West Nile virus and indicate that he got it from mosquitoes near his northwest Las Vegas home, county health officials said Thursday.

Officials also said that in addition to the infected mosquitoes around the man's home in the 89130 ZIP code, which is along Rancho Drive north of Cheyenne Boulevard, they also found infected mosquitoes in two other Clark County locations.

Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus were trapped in ZIP code 89122, which includes a large swath of the Las Vegas Wash and Desert Wetlands Park, east of Boulder Highway and north of Henderson, as well as near Moapa Warm Springs in the northeastern part of the county.

West Nile virus "is here and it's in our area," Health District spokesman David Tonelli said.

The affected Clark County resident, who was only described by authorities as being younger than 50, was hospitalized earlier this month for meningitis with symptoms including headache, fever and a rash. The person has since recovered, the Health District reported.

Richard Hicks, supervisor of the county Vector Control division, which is in charge of pest and insect control, said his office will continue testing around the county for infected mosquitoes, as he said the division has done for years.

A dead kestrel hawk found in southeast Las Vegas earlier this month tested positive for the West Nile virus. The virus has also been found in a chicken and mosquitoes in Humbolt County, several dead birds in Reno, and three horses in Fallon. The state veterinarian has urged owners of horses, donkeys and mules to get their animals vaccinated against the virus.

John Hiatt, conservation committee chairman for the Red Rock Audubon Society, said that while he's concerned about the virus, he doesn't plan on doing anything differently.

"But I'm worried about some of our native birds. Crows, ravens and jays are particularly susceptible to West Nile," Hiatt said.

Steve Fagnant, general manager of the Los Prados Country Club, which is in the 89130 ZIP code, said that while he, too, is concerned about the spread of the virus, the golf course isn't making any changes unless county officials ask them too.

Fagnant said county officials tested the three ponds at the golf course and didn't find any infected mosquitoes there.

Mitchell Kuhn, president of the Desert Shores homeowners association, said he's not planning to do anything differently because of the news. He added that the four lakes in his neighborhood aren't potential mosquito breeding grounds because the water in them is kept circulating by pumps.

The Health District is advising residents to avoid mosquito bites by using insect repellent with DEET in it, wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts when outdoors, staying indoors around dusk and dawn, making sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens without tears or holes, and eliminating areas of standing water, including bird baths and un-maintained swimming pools, which serve as mosquito breeding grounds.

The virus is not spread person to person, but by mosquitoes, which acquire the virus from infected birds. An estimated 80 percent of the people infected with the virus do not become sick, while the other 20 percent typically come down with flu-like symptoms such as a fever and headache, officials said.

About 1 in 150 infected people develop more serious complications, such as meningitis, Tonelli said. In 2003, the West Nile virus killed 264 people in the U.S., and six people have died from the virus so far this year, Tonelli said, adding that this is early in the season for mosquito activity.

The Health District has also established a telephone information line at 385-INFO (4636), which will give basic information about the virus and contact information for reporting dead birds, mosquitoes, and standing water.

Hicks said people who find standing water or an un-maintained swimming pool should notify his office by calling 455-7543.

For additional information about the West Nile virus, see the Health District Web site at www.cchd.org; the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid /westnile/index.htm; the county Vector Control Web site at www.co.clark.nv.us/pubworks/neighborhood/bee.htm.