County resumes defense against West Nile

Better get out the bug spray. Mosquito season is about to begin, and health officials are reminding residents the bugs can cause problems far more serious than an annoying bite.

From now through November, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control is testing dead birds for West Nile virus. The virus primarily exists in birds, but can spread to other animals and to people. Mild symptoms include fever, rash or body aches. Severe infection can cause brain inflammation, convulsions or paralysis.

The state agency is asking residents to help reduce the risk of the mosquito-borne disease by picking up dead crows and blue jays and turning them in to local public health offices for testing. The birds should be dead for no more than a few days and should show no signs of trauma, such as hitting a window or being struck by a car.

Picking up the birds should not be done with bare hands. DHEC advises using gloves or doubled plastic bags turned inside out. The doubled bag then should be inverted, sealed and placed on ice or kept cool until the bird can be refrigerated. Note the location of where the bird was found -- a requirement for testing.

Birds are sent overnight to a lab in Columbia, where they are tested for the virus. The lab tested its first bird Wednesday. Results usually take about one week.

Chris Evans, an entomologist with DHEC's Bureau of Laboratories in Columbia, said crows and blue jays have a higher mortality rate from West Nile than other birds.

"They are more susceptible because they have never been exposed to West Nile in their ancestry," Evans said. "Robins and sparrows are big carriers ... but they don't have a high mortality rate."

Virus activity is common in late summer or early fall, said Gregg Hunt, director of the Beaufort County Mosquito Control. If DHEC identifies West Nile in a bird submitted from Beaufort County, Hunt then intensifies surveillance and, if required, applies public health insecticides around the site.

Of the 56 local types of mosquitoes, few are associated with West Nile, Hunt said. The mosquitoes that carry the disease breed in stagnant water, such as bird baths or pet bowls. In 2003, nine birds were found carrying the disease in Beaufort County, but none has been found since then, Hunt said. In the state since 2002, there have been 413 confirmed cases of West Nile in birds and 20 cases in people, causing one death.