West Nile Virus is in Maine, Tests of Dead Birds Confirm

Four birds in Maine - Lewiston, Stonington, Brunswick and York - have tested positive for West Nile virus.

August 12, 2003
By JOSIE HUANG, Portland Press Herald Writer

West Nile virus has infected at least four birds in Maine this year, a sign that the disease has survived another winter and is likely to spread to Mainers for the first time, health officials said.

"It's here, it's established and it's really just a matter of time until we do see a human infected. It's just sort of a numbers game," state epidemiologist Dr. Kathleen Gensheimer said Monday.

Positive tests came back for blue jays collected in Lewiston and Stonington and crows found in Brunswick and York between the end of July and the first week of August - about the same time last year's first avian cases were confirmed. The species belong to the Corvid family, which is most commonly infected by the mosquito-borne disease and also includes ravens.

Because few mosquitoes have the virus, the chances for human infection in healthy individuals are slim. When it does occur, symptoms are mild: a slight fever or headache. State health authorities say a Mainer could have had West Nile, but symptoms were so unnoticeable that they were never reported.

One out of 150 infected individuals, however, may contract a severe infection like encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, prompting public health advisories that residents protect themselves and their homes from mosquitos.

Suggestions include using mosquito repellent with the chemical DEET during the West Nile season lasting through the summer into September and October.

Also recommended is clearing property of receptacles for standing water such as discarded tires and empty flower pots - perfect places for mosquitoes to lay eggs.

Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 182 West Nile cases and five deaths. No human cases have been reported in New England this year, but the states continue to find infected birds. This week, New Hampshire updated its count to six birds; Massachusetts now has 21 confirmed avian cases.

Maine, since it first got federal funds to battle West Nile in 2000, has mapped mosquito breeding sites and the location of dead infected birds, and tested several dozen people.

State authorities have also discussed the pros and cons of pesticide use with environmentalists and the health community. But the state's top public health official said that the controversial strategy is not yet necessary.

"If a neighborhood seems to have certain factors that would suggest spraying would reduce the human health risk considerably and not have a significant impact on the environment, then we would want to consider the possibility of spraying just as they have in every other state with West Nile virus," said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the state Bureau of Health.

Should such a scenario unfold, "we would discuss it thoroughly and make the best decisions possible for all concerns involved," Mills said.

Many residents have tried to help the state's surveillance efforts by calling a toll-free West Nile hotline. Since June, the state has gotten nearly 400 reports about dead birds and tested 88 carcasses, Mills said.

"We collect those that are coming from a place where we've had other reports of dead birds or where it's feasible to collect and test," said Mills, who noted that birds found on highways are not good test subjects.

Most of the reports are coming from the state's most populated regions, but Mills said that the virus likely has a state-wide presence.

"There may be infected birds in rural Washington County, but there may not be enough people to call and tell us about them," she said.

West Nile, first detected in 1999, has hit other states harder. Colorado has reported 166 human cases so far this year, and five deaths.

Officials there suspect Colorado's moist, mosquito-friendly summer weather contributed to human infections. In Maine, health officials say that northern New England's earlier frosts may explain the absence of confirmed human cases so far.

In 2002, the state collected more than 600 birds, 71 of which tested positive for West Nile, and discovered Maine's first West Nile-positive insects at a mosquito pool in Wells. That year, more than 4,000 people in 44 states were infected and 284 died, according to the CDC.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/state/030812westnile.shtml