Deanna Simon: Fight the Bite - More Important than Ever

You may have heard that a new disease spread by mosquitoes has found its way to California. When West Nile Virus arrived in New York in 1999, who guessed it would take only four seasons to spread all the way across the United States?

Birds, such as crows, jays, magpies and hawks, carry the virus, and in late August the virus was detected in southern California bird populations. A mosquito can bite an infected bird and then pass the virus along to a human host if it happens to choose one of us for its next meal.

The bad news is there's no vaccine and no treatment other than supportive nursing care. Symptoms of serious illness include head and neck pain, high fever, confusion, tremors, muscle weakness, paralysis or, in up to 30 percent of serious cases, death. The elderly and immune-system compromised are more at risk than healthy adults and a possible human vaccine is at least a year or two away.

The good news is that only 1 in 100 of those bitten by an infected mosquito will get the virus and 1 in 150 infected people may feel ill enough to see a doctor. Also, there are easy ways to protect our families and ourselves and to keep the disease from spreading.

The key strategy for controlling mosquito populations is to stop them where they breed, and the San Francisco Health Code charges property owners, businesses and residents with this responsibility. Killing the adults with poisonous chemical sprays is not an effective control tactic because it does not address their breeding source. The best way to control mosquitoes is to eliminate their breeding sites: standing water. They can grow in tiny amounts of water so scrutiny and diligence are your greatest weapons against these insects and the diseases they carry.

To prevent mosquito breeding, eliminate standing water in containers, including flower pots, pool covers, birdbaths, wading pools, old tires and car parts; clear gutters and drains of debris; drill holes in large containers to let water drain out; report potholes and broken sidewalks to (415) 554-6926; fix leaky outdoor faucets; and fill tree holes with absorbent, such as SoilMoist, or Broadleaf P4.

Offer to help elderly or handicap neighbors with these responsibilities.

Ponds are ideal breeding places for mosquitoes. To prevent mosquito populations: Install a water pump, add mosquito fish (free from San Mateo Mosquito Abatement District, (650) 344-8592), or use less toxic water treatments to control the larvae. Less toxic controls include MosquitoDunks, Vectobac, Pre-Strike or other products containing bacteria (Bt) or methoprene.

Avoid bug bites, especially during dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active and wear long sleeves and long pants. Use insect repellent and re-apply if it stops working and consider installing screens.

Other things you can do include working with state and local agencies regularly to monitor chicken flocks and dead wild birds for the first signs of the virus in an area; report dead birds (especially crows, jays, magpies and hawks, sparrows and finches) to (877) WNV-BIRD; and report mosquito problems to the Environmental Health Unit of San Francisco's Public Health Department at (415) 252-3805.

Deanna Simon coordinates toxic chemical reduction programs for SF Environment. She has worked in sustainable agriculture, biological control research and environmental education. Learn more about how the City is working to make a safer, healthier environment at www.sfenvironment.com, visit the EcoCenter at 11 Grove St. or call (415) 355-3700.