'Record-Breaking' West Nile Levels Prompt Fogging In Santa Clara County

The Santa Clara County Vector Control District tonight will begin spraying parts of Saratoga with insecticide to eliminate mosquitoes infected with the West Nile virus, which is at “record-breaking levels,” a district official said.

The fogging treatments, done to prevent people from being bitten by insects infected with the virus, starts in suburban neighborhoods in Saratoga at 11 p.m. and will continue to 2 a.m. Wednesday, district acting manager Russ Parman said.

The district will also spray sections of South San Jose starting at 11 p.m. Thursday until 2 a.m. Friday, Parman said.

The West Nile virus is at “record-breaking levels” based on about 600 dead birds, mostly crows, that were tested and found to be infected with the virus in the county, according to Parman.

“The real record this year has been the birds,” Parman said.

The birds create a cycle where they are infected by bites from mosquitoes with the virus, then pass along the virus to uninfected mosquitoes that bite them, Parman said.

In humans, about 75 percent of people who are infected with West Nile from a mosquito bite do not notice any symptoms and develop an immunity to it from antibodies, he said.

Most of the other 25 percent will notice flu-like fevers and other problems that eventually go away. However, a small number can contract the dangerous “neuro-invasive” form that attacks the body’s nerves and can cause death, Parman said.

The district is trying to get the word out to people to eliminate standing puddles of water in their yards and empty stagnant swimming pools so that mosquitoes cannot use the water to breed, Parman said.

“It’s preventable,” Parman said. “We’re not trying to scare people.” So far this year, one person in the county was confirmed to have the virus but did not show any symptoms, Parman said.

The virus was detected in the person after they donated blood. Blood donations must be screened for West Nile virus before they can be accepted, according to Parman.

The fogging tonight and Thursday will be performed by district employees driving trucks containing the insecticide. In Saratoga, the targeted area is bordered by Knollwood Drive and Goleta Avenue on the north end, Saratoga Hills, Chiquita Way and Arroyo de Arguello to the west, state Highway 85 to the east and Fourth Street, Oak Street and Douglas Lane to the south.

In South San Jose, the area to be sprayed is bordered by Malone Road and Curtner Avenue to the north, Azevedo Parkway, Altino Boulevard and Vista Park Drive to the east, West Capitol Expressway, Bend Avenue and Kimberly Drive to the south and Vistamont Drive and Cherry Avenue to the west.

--Bay City News