- DELTA -- West Nile virus
is gaining momentum in Delta County, where three horses reportedly died
this month from the mosquito-borne illness.
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- "I think it's really important that we reduce exposure
for horses and people right now," said Dr. Allan Dorr, the veterinarian
who reported two equine victims this week.
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- Officially, there are two horses confirmed dead from
West Nile virus, the Delta County Health Department reported Friday. It
has received unconfirmed reports from veterinary clinics of other horses
treated for the virus.
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- A third horse victim from Eckert had West Nile virus,
according to test results Dorr received Friday.
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- "We're hardly in the situation they are on the
Eastern Slope right now. They've got really bad problems over there, but
I'm sure we're going to see a lot more of it," Dorr said.
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- Colorado reported its eighth death from West Nile virus
on Friday, a 79-year-old Fremont County woman who had been hospitalized
for encephalitis.
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- The woman died Thursday at St. Thomas More Hospital
in Ca-on City, said Clarice Little, nursing administrator for the Fremont
County Public Health Nursing Service.
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- The state confirmed 92 new human cases of the disease
Friday, bringing the statewide total to 638, highest in the nation.
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- Nationwide, 14 deaths and 715 human cases of the disease
had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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- West Nile surfaced in Delta County last month in an
adult man, skipping horses and other "sentinel" species.
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- The man had fever brought on by West Nile virus, its
least serious form of illness. He showed symptoms July 27.
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- He is "OK" and in recovery, environmental
specialist Keith Lucy said Friday.
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- West Nile virus can also manifest as meningitis or encephalitis
that can lead to death.
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- Nationwide, 29 states have reported a total of 753 human
infections and the death toll is at 14, the Centers for Disease Control
reported.
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- Seven of those deaths were reported in Colorado.
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- The horse deaths during the first West Nile virus season
in Delta County likely signal a greater presence next year. Elsewhere,
the West Nile virus has killed four animals at the Denver Zoo and infected
four of the falcons used as mascots at the Air Force Academy.
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- A wolf, a reindeer, a goose and a swan were the first
animals to die from the virus at the zoo. Officials are awaiting test results
on a dead camel to find out whether it was a victim.
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- Last year, a flamingo at the zoo was the only animal
infected with West Nile virus. It recovered.
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- "Next year, I anticipate to be much more comprehensive
than it is this year," said Lucy.
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- Signs of West Nile virus exist across Delta County,
even in areas with active mosquito-control programs.
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- The first horse victim was near Paonia. The North Fork
Mosquito Control District has been under fire there for using malathion
and larvicides to control mosquitoes.
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- The Surface Creek Valley, where two horses died near
Eckert, has no mosquito-control program. Both were euthanized. A pi-on
jay tested positive near Eckert this week, the Health Department reported.
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- Dorr has found other animals he suspects are infected
with West Nile virus, including a dog on California Mesa west of Delta,
he said.
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- Mosquito control using chemical-based pesticides has
raised controversy in the North Fork Valley. Some residents leave Paonia
when malathion is sprayed there.
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- The owner of the horse dead near Paonia wants stronger
mosquito controls, citing at-risk elderly adults and children in the area.
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- Delta County needs "something more comprehensive"
to control mosquitoes, Lucy said.
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- "An integrated pest-management strategy is something
we should look at, but if it gets to a real serious crisis mode, insecticides
might be the only option," he said.
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- Aerial spraying of insecticides may be the best, last-ditch
option if West Nile virus reaches critical levels, Lucy said.
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- The best protection is prevention, both for humans and
animals, officials said.
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- None of the horses that died this month were vaccinated
against West Nile virus. There is a time delay before the vaccination takes
effect, Dorr said. It is best applied before the onset of mosquito season,
but Dorr still recommends vaccinating horses immediately.
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- He also recommended using horse sheets to ward off mosquitoes.
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- There is no vaccination for humans.
- © 2003 Cox Newspapers, Inc.
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