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West
Nile Virus Found in Four Birds in Jefferson County
(Revised and Updated)
Auburn, Sept. 7---Since
four dead birds found in Jefferson County were recently confirmed
positive with West Nile Virus (WNV), many Alabamians are alarmed
about the danger of the illness transmitted by mosquitoes.
Dr. Bill Johnston, state
public health veterinarian, says two bluejays, one crow and one
red-tailed hawk recently found in Jefferson County all had the
virus. Johnston says it's not unusual for dead birds to be found and
reported in urban settings because there are more folks to see them.
Dr. Johnston also said there may be other dead birds in rural
settings that have not been found.
"This is a time of
unusual concern about mosquito bites and diseases people can
contract from
mosquitoes," says Dr. Xing Ping Hu, an entomologist with the
Alabama Cooperative Extension System. She offers these safety
recommendations for consumers living in urban and rural settings to
follow:
-
Empty containters
collecting water. They are prime breeding spots for the mosquito
species that transmit West Nile Virus.
-
Clean leaves and
other debrie out rain gutters.
-
Aerate swimming
pools and ponds and and perhaps stock with mosquito-eating Fish.
-
Empty unused
buckets, water troughs, etc.
-
Keep unused tires
under cover so they do not collect water.
-
Drill drainage holes
in tires and other containers used in construction sites, farms,
gardens and play areas.
-
Clean bird baths and
animal water bowls at least once a week
-
Avoid mosquito bites
by wearing long lightly colored clothes and/or by using insect
repellent when out after dusk or in shaded areas (such as woods)
during the daytime.
There are many
environmentally safe larvicides available. Mosquito biolarvicides
include products containing the active ingredient Bacillus spp.,
such as Aquabac formulas, Bactimos Briquets, Bactimos Pellets,
Mosquito Dunks, Teknar HP-D, VectoBac and VectoLex. Other products
contain insect growth regulators (IGR) such as Altosid formulas and
Dimilin. For people who want to kill mosquito larvae in their fish
pond, the biological control approach using predaceous fish is good.
The most commony larvivorous fish, Gambusia or other species which
occur naturally in many aquatic habitats, can be placed in permanent
or semi-permanent water bodies where mosquito larvae occur. Other
agents, which have been tested but are not widely used, are
predaceous mosquito, codepods, parasitic nematodes and fungus.
The most common
repellent on the market is DEET. However, consumers must follow the
label directions and *not* apply it directly to skin. It may burn if
it gets into sensitive areas such as the eyes. Even rubbing it from
sprayed clothing to these sensitive spots can cause burning, says Hu.
A number of parents are concerned about applying chemicals even to
children' clothing.
A University of Florida
(UF) medical entomologist developed a new herbal repellent that is
safer than DEET. The active ingredient is geraniol. The repellent is
patented by UF and licensed to Natural, Ltd., Great Neck, N.Y.,
which is marketing products under the registered trademarks of
MosquitoSafe, TickSafe and FireAntSafe.
On Aug. 28, at the
annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, an Iowa State
University research group reported that catnip oil is about 10 times
more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET. A patent
application of the use of catnip compounds as insect repellents was
submitted last year by the Iowa State University Research
Foundation.
For more information on
killing mosquito larvae, go to web site:
http://www.mosquito.org/.
SOURCE: Dr. Xing Ping Hu,
Entomologist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334)
844-6392
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