West Nile makes early appearance
TUSCALOOSA | The early appearance of West Nile virus could be a bad omen for this summer's mosquito season, experts said Wednesday.
Three counties in Alabama ó Calhoun, Macon and Winston ó reported birds that have tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus as of May 21, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thomas Unnasch, professor in the division of geographic medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where mosquitoes and birds have been tested for the virus since 2001, said the reports are unusually early for this time of year.
"We're talking six weeks to two months earlier than last year," he said. "I think the intensity of the infection portends for a pretty busy West Nile season. The real issue will be what happens during the middle of the summer. "
Unnasch said the substantial amount of rain and flooding the state experienced this month created a hot bed for mosquito breeding because of the high incidence of standing water.
A meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Birmingham said Tuscaloosa has received more than 9 inches of rain this month. Normal rainfall for the area in May is about 4 inches.
"There's a lot of virus out there waiting to happen," Unnasch said. "If everything could dry up, then the mosquitoes wouldn't have a chance to breed."
Gregory Utley, environmental officer for the Tuscaloosa County Department of Public Health, said in-house testing of birds began last week.
"We tested two birds, and they tested negative for the virus," he said. "We're doing good so far."
The health department is again asking Tuscaloosa County residents to bring in dead birds for testing, but only crows, blue jays and birds of prey or raptors like hawks, owls and buzzards.
Utley said the health department still has free larvicide briquettes available to people who want to treat standing water around their homes.
County and city officials in Tuscaloosa and Northport are doing what they can to control the mosquito population by conducting routine spraying.
Allen Springer, assistant engineer for Tuscaloosa County, said spraying began in the county in April and is conducted five evenings a week.
"Depending on the weather, we typically spray from about four or five in the evening to 10:30 or 11 at night," he said. "But we have not had a large number of requests for additional spraying in areas of the county."
Last year there was concern about having enough pesticide on hand for additional spraying, but Springer said he doesn't think that will be a problem this year.
"I don't foresee us running out of chemical," he said. "Because of the demand last year, I think our supplier sees the need to have plenty on hand, and we will order ahead so that we have enough."
There were 49 human cases of West Nile virus in Alabama in 2002. Three people died from the virus. No deaths were reported in Tuscaloosa County, where seven people contracted the virus.
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