West Nile virus has landed in Redondo Beach.
Two weeks ago, Mallory Gantner found a crow in her backyard.
“It was lying facedown on the lawn with its wings spread out and it was trying to get up but it couldn’t because its body was stiff and its feet were curling under like it was paralyzed,” she remembers.
“Its eyes were cloudy, too – that was the other thing that looked weird.”
In four hours, the animal’s condition had deteriorated so drastically that Animal Control officers elected to euthanize it.
This, it turns out, was just one of nearly two dozen confirmed carriers in Redondo Beach. Officers from the Animal Control Unit have confirmed that 21 dead crows tested positive for the virus this year – the highest count in all of Los Angeles County to date, according to figures updated Tuesday.
Only Torrance comes close with 13 reported cases.
A California Department of Public Health (CDPH) spokesperson said the reason for the high number of cases in Redondo Beach is that Redondo Beach Animal Control officers have been “aggressive with their collecting and testing of birds.”
Throughout California, 289 birds have been this year confirmed as carriers. Of that figure, 92 have been located in Los Angeles County. The county with the second highest number of confirmed cases is Sacramento with 45.
West Nile Virus is a strain of virus that can cause, in birds and mammals, encephalitis – the inflammation of brain tissue – and meningitis – the swelling of tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
West Nile is a virus borne by infected female mosquitoes and transmitted primarily to birds, horses, chickens, squirrels, and humans, according to the CDPH.
The mosquito species that transmits the virus primarily targets large birds (Passeriformes) like the American crow. Infected crows generally exhibit signs such as lethargy, lack of balance, weight loss, tremors, and sometimes paralysis, like the one Gantner found in her backyard.
While West Nile does pose a potential threat to humans – there was one fatal case reported this year, involving a Sacramento man – statistics suggest it is not widespread.
Eighty percent of infected humans exhibit no symptoms. Those who do display symptoms suffer from fever, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, malaise, nausea, vomiting, myalgias, and rashes. Less than one percent of cases in humans affect the central nervous system.
There is no vaccination for West Nile, but the CDPH advises members of the public to be particularly cautious and aware of the virus when it peaks in the late summer months.
As mosquitoes are most active during dawn and dusk, the CDPH encourages the public to wear insect repellent or clothing that covers their arms and legs. Another important way to mitigate West Nile is by draining or eliminating stagnant or standing waters like puddles and pools.
Anyone who finds a dead bird is advised to file an online report at www.westnile.ca.gov or call (877) WNV-BIRD; by compiling all contributed reports, the CDPH is able to better monitor the virus’ distribution.
