Two cases of West Nile reported in Glenn County

Two human cases of West Nile virus were reported in Glenn County on Sept. 2 and 3, health department officials said.

They include a female toddler in the Ord Bend area who has since recovered and a younger Hamilton City woman who is still sick but recovering at home, according to Glenn County Health Director Scott Gruendl.

He said Thursday actually three human cases were reported around the same time, but the third was a Tehama County man who lives near Capay, and his case was turned over to Tehama health authorities.

All three cases were relatively mild and included a fever with flu-like symptoms, he said. The toddler recovered quickly and the woman is improving. He does not know the man’s condition.

None of these cases were the neurologically invasive type, Gruendl said, which is very serious and can be fatal. Eighty percent of West Nile victims don’t know they have it or show symptoms, he said. Twenty percent do get the fever/flu-like symptoms and one percent get the neurological illness.

The Glenn County Mosquito Abatement District fogged the area near where the toddler lives on Wednesday night around Ord Bend and Highway 45 which is a remote rural area, Gruendl said.

However, Hamilton City residents are contracted with Butte County Mosquito Abatement for their abatement services and will have to wait until next week, he said, before fogging occurs there since Butte County must service its cities first.

Gruendl said there is a move to remove Hamilton City from the Butte County district and include it with Glenn County’s since the town is located in Glenn County on the border with Butte.

A hearing with the Butte County Local Agency Formation Commission is scheduled for Sept. 10 in Chico to take public input on this proposal, he said.

In the meantime, he warns mosquito season will run through mid-October and people should not be outside at dusk or dawn if they can avoid it since that is when mosquitoes feed the most.

People should wear long-sleeved shirts and pants if they need to be out in mosquito hours, and light clothing repels them more than dark clothes do, Gruendl said.

Repellents with Deet in them are good for keeping the blood suckers off as well, and chemical-free repellents are coming on the market.

Residents should watch for standing water around drains, lawns and gutters as well since mosquitoes breed in minute water surfaces, he added.

Gruendl said the toddler could possibly be the youngest West Nile victim in California, but he is not positive of that fact.

The county currently sprays once a week for mosquitoes in communities around Glenn County, which is no longer number one for per capita human infections in the state this year, he said.

Kern County holds that title in 2008, so “we have achieved our goal of not being number one,” Gruendl said. He credits residents with being more vigilant about their mosquito control and the abatement district’s efforts with cutting the numbers down.