A few good chickens
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No Comments [ Add Comment ]By Loretta Park
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
lpark@standard.net
Poultry drafted to stand guard against West Nile virus
KAYSVILLE -- They may appear to be sitting ducks for any mosquito in a town, but the sentinel chickens in Davis County coops are the front line of defense in the war against the West Nile virus.
Davis County Mosquito Abatement staff picked up the chickens Friday from Utah County and stationed them in their new homes.
The staff will test the chickens, as well as test mosquito pools, for the first signs of the disease that infected 10 people in Davis County last year. Overall, the state reported 158 cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2006.
"There's a chance, a pretty good chance, we'll see more cases in 2007 than in 2006," said Lewis Garrett, Davis County health director.
Health officials worry that the public will ignore messages on how to prevent the disease because they have been repeated so many times over the years, Garrett said.
A person can become ill after being bitten by a mosquito that carries the disease.
"Most people don't get sick or seriously ill, but some will get very ill and others will die or suffer long-term complications," Garrett said.
County officials are not ignoring the disease.
Gary Hatch, district manager, said April was very dry, but the warm weather in March caused mosquitoes to come out of hibernation. Phone calls poured into his office as mosquitoes sneaked into homes looking for a tasty bite.
"We're going to spray as much as we did last year, if not more," Hatch said.
The mosquito crews will be out six days a week. His staff will be in neighborhoods beginning in the early evening until 10 p.m. through the end of September.
The spraying activity will not just be reserved for the west side of the county. The east side will also be targeted, he said.
Last year, the West Nile virus was found in mosquito pools all across the county, officials said.
If residents spot the trucks out spraying, they should go inside their homes. The chemical is not harmful, Hatch said, but he's not taking chances. If his staff spot people outside while they're spraying, they will discontinue the spraying activity for the evening.
If a mosquito pool tests positive for West Nile virus, the mosquito crew will bring extra trucks to the area and do more spraying.
But county officials cannot defeat the mosquitoes alone. They're asking the public for help.
"People are raising their own mosquitoes in their yards," Hatch said.
Mosquitoes like to breed in water left in buckets, pails, wheelbarrows, pools, rain gutters and flower pots, so dump or drain the water, he said.
Also, mosquitoes can spot a hole in a window screen, so it is important to repair them.
Residents of all ages should wear long shirts and long pants while outside from dusk to dawn. Rubbing, spraying or applying mosquito repellent is added protection, Hatch said. Mosquito repellent containing DEET or Picaridin is a good line of defense.
Hatch is also asking residents to call his office if they come across dead crows, ravens, magpies or blue jays so they can be tested.
"We want the recent dead, not the bone and feather kind," Hatch said.
Birds usually get the disease before humans, he said.
For more information about West Nile virus, go to Davis County Health Department's Web site: www.co.davis.ut.us/health.
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