Isle health officials on alert
for West Nile virus

Officials hope the state can avert cases
until California's mosquito season is over

Hawaii health officials want state residents and doctors to be vigilant for the West Nile virus, which has killed seven people in California this year.

WANTED: DEAD BIRD A form to submit with a bird carcass is available on the state Department of Health Web site, www.hawaii.gov/health, or call 211, the health information line, for information on collecting dead birds.

"It appears that the number of human West Nile cases in California is rapidly increasing," Dr. Linda Rosen, deputy director of the state Health Department, said yesterday.

There are no reported cases in Hawaii of the sometimes fatal virus, but the rising number of cases on the West Coast led the state Department of Health to issue an alert yesterday to local physicians to watch for cases of the disease.

"If we can prevent the disease from gaining a foothold in Hawaii for the next few months, the rest of California's mosquito season, the chances of us getting West Nile virus this year will be greatly reduced," Rosen said.

California public health officials confirmed yesterday that the West Nile virus led to the death of a 62-year-old Claremont man, the fourth person in Los Angeles County to die from complications of West Nile virus this year.

The disease is transmitted to humans only by mosquitoes. About 20 percent of those bitten by an infected insect show flulike symptoms, while about one in 100 suffer the most severe form of the illness.

It has also been found in birds, horses and other animals.

Besides alerting doctors, Hawaii health officials are asking isle residents to look for and turn in dead birds for testing.

Since birds are highly susceptible, health officials said, dead birds in an area could indicate the presence of the disease.

People should cover their hands with a plastic bag, or use a shovel, to pick up a bird, said Shokufeh Ramirez, the state Health Department's West Nile virus coordinator. Oahu residents may deliver bagged birds to the Hawaiian Humane Society, 2700 Waialae Ave. Neighbor island humane society offices are also collecting samples.

Ramirez said scientists are only looking for freshly dead birds, not specimens that are decomposing, have a strong odor or maggots present.

She said the only West Nile case to be diagnosed in the islands occurred last year. It involved a traveler, apparently infected in Minnesota, who reported feeling sick before boarding a flight to Hawaii.

There have been at least 249 reported cases of West Nile virus in California this year, and at least seven people have died. More than 700 cases and 20 deaths have been reported nationwide this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Health officials recommend that residents avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes by wearing protective clothing, using a repellent that contains DEET and by eliminating sources of standing water where the insect can breed.