West Nile Virus On Cape
By MATTHEW BURKE
mburke@capecodonline.com
August 13, 2008
BARNSTABLE — The town's Public Health Division announced yesterday that a dead bird from the Cummaquid area has tested positive for the West Nile virus, a disease that can cause high fever in humans and even death in extreme cases.
Town officials contacted Cape Cod Mosquito Control and they plan to start treating catch basins with larvicides this morning, public health officials said in a statement.
The bird is the first to test positive in Barnstable this year, officials said.
Last year, 3,059 dead birds were reported to the state's Department of Public Health, and 43 tested positive for the virus. There were no positive tests in birds in the town of Barnstable last year, officials said. However, a Barnstable resident was one of six people in the state to contract the virus in 2007.
Earlier this month, Cape Cod Mosquito Control employees began treating storm drains and "public standing water" in the Hyannis area after a mosquito tested positive for the virus late last month.
It was the first infected mosquito discovered in Barnstable County in 2008, according to the state Department of Public Health's Web site.
The West Nile virus can affect people of all ages but people over the age of 50 are at a higher risk for severe infection. The virus is most commonly transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito.
The public is being urged to be mindful of mosquitoes and to protect themselves accordingly, officials said. Residents are urged to drain standing water sources, such as bird-baths, wear mosquito repellent with DEET or oil of lemon eucalyptus, restrict outdoor activity at night and in the early morning, and to make sure household screens are in repair.
Dead crows and blue jays may be a sign of West Nile. Residents are asked to report them to 1-866-MASSWNV.
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