Santa Barbara County
West Nile Virus Surveillance Project

Summary of WNV Activity in Santa Barbara County Updated as of 11/08/2005
	Humans	Dead Birds	Horses	Mosquito Pools	Sentinel Chickens
2005	2	72	6	21 (2 sites)	8 (2 sites)
2004	0	7	0	0	0
Total	2	79	6	21 (2 sites)	8 (2 sites)

Información En Español

Preguntas y Respuestas

The Santa Barbara County West Nile Virus (WNV) Surveillance Project is a multi-agency collaboration with representatives from the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, the Santa Barbara Coastal Vector Control District, and the California Department of Health Services (DHS). The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department oversees Disease Control, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Community and Family Health, Environmental Health, Emergency Medical Services, Public Health Lab, Health Education, and Animal Services. This collaborative will provide ongoing information updates to the community regarding the status of the West Nile Virus in Santa Barbara County.

The West Nile Virus Surveillance Project includes the following activities:

Medical Provider Information
Human Surveillance and Testing
Veterinary Surveillance
Dead Bird Surveillance
Sentinel Chickens
Mosquito Surveillance
Prevention - Reducing Risk of Mosquito Bites
Where to call with questions

Human Surveillance and Testing

• Most infections are asymptomatic and less than 1% of those infected develop severe illness. WNV may cause encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, or atypical Guillain-Barré syndrome in humans.
• Diagnostic testing is done at the Department of Health Services (DHS) Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory (VRDL). Patients with encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, or atypical Guillain-Barré will be tested for a combination of arbovirus, enterovirus, and other agents.
• Current testing for West Nile virus includes serology and PCR viral testing. Tests can be run on spinal fluid and serum.

For more information on human case surveillance and testing, medical providers are directed to contact the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department Disease Control office at (805) 681-5280.

Veterinary Surveillance

WNV may cause fatal encephalitis in horses, although the majority of infections are mild or asymptomatic. Horses are considered "accidental hosts" and therefore do not play any role in maintaining the virus in nature.

A conditionally licensed killed WNV vaccine is available for horses. A conditional license means that the vaccine has been shown to be safe and there is a reasonable expectation of efficacy. Horse owners should discuss WNV vaccination with their veterinarian. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) approved use of this vaccine in California last summer, but they have no official policy or endorsement of the product.

CDFA and California DHS veterinarians are available to talk with horse owners or private practitioners about equine WNV surveillance and prevention. Free testing for clinically suspect cases of arboviral encephalitis is available through a joint effort by California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) Laboratory, CDFA, UC Davis Arbovirus Research Unit, and California DHS.

It is currently unknown whether WNV infection causes illness in other domestic animals such as dogs and cats. Veterinarians with California DHS are available to discuss unusual illnesses among dogs, cats, or other domestic animals with private practitioners.

For more information on veterinary surveillance please contact the California DHS Veterinary Public Health Section at (916) 552-9740 or vetph@dhs.ca.gov.

What you should know about WNV (American Veterinary Association fact sheet):
http://www.avma.org/communications/brochures/wnv/wnv%5Ffaq.asp

Dead Bird Surveillance

Dead birds are reported by the public and local officials to California DHS. Arrangements for testing are made if the bird has died recently (24-48 hours) and belongs to the corvid family (crows, ravens, magpies, jays) or is a finch or sparrow.

Birds are tested for West Nile virus collaboratively at the California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) laboratory, UC Davis Arbovirus Research Unit, and VRDL.

California DHS arranges pick-up of bird by local agencies.

Reporting Dead Birds: Now that WNV has appeared in birds in Santa Barbara County, DHS prefers that dead birds are reported on-line by filling out a form at the following website-www.westnile.ca.gov/deadbird.cfm
You may also call 877 WNV-BIRD

Sentinel Chickens

207 sentinel chicken flocks are managed by over 50 local agencies throughout California. Six flocks have been located in the Santa Barbara Area. These chickens are bled biweekly by local mosquito and vector control agencies and tested for arboviruses at VRDL.

Sera that test positive for St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE) are tested for West Nile Virus.

For questions on sentinel chicken surveillance, contact the Santa Barbara Coastal Vector Control District at 805-969-5050 or for information go to http://www.sbcvcd.org

Mosquito Surveillance

In response to the public concern, local mosquito and vector control agencies are intensifying mosquito control and surveillance planning and activities. Individuals can further reduce their risk of mosquito-borne diseases by observing the personal protection precautions noted below.

Locally in Santa Barbara County you can call the Santa Barbara Coastal Vector Control District at 805-969-5050 for information on their local activities or go to http://www.sbcvcd.org. They have an on-line complaint form to report mosquito problems or request more information on mosquito control.

Prevention - Reducing the Risk of Mosquito Bites

Personal Protection Precautions:

Avoid damp, vegetated mosquito-infested areas at dawn and dusk. This is when most mosquitoes feed.

Ensure your windows have screens that do not have holes. Do not allow the mosquitoes in.

Do not allow water to stagnate in old tires, flowerpots, trash, swimming pools, birdbaths, pet bowls, pails, buckets, etc. Empty all of the water out and turn the item upside down if possible. If water is necessary to be kept outside for pets, empty the container and change the water frequently, at least once per week. Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, this will keep mosquitoes from breeding there; drain water from pool covers also.

Call the Santa Barbara Coastal Vector Control District at 805-969-5050 to alert them of potential mosquito breeding sites in your area, such as storm sewers, ditches, and abandoned properties with standing water.

Stock garden ponds with goldfish or mosquito fish. They eat the mosquito eggs and larvae. Mosquito fish may be available from the Santa Barbara Coastal Vector Control District. Call 805-969-5050 or go to their website at http://www.sbcvcd.org for information.

Empty and wash birdbaths, wading pools and other water containers weekly.

Whenever possible, wear protective clothing such as long sleeves, long pants, and socks while outdoors.

Spray clothing with repellents containing DEET or permethrin, because mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing.

Apply insect repellent to exposed skin when you go outdoors. The most effective repellents contain DEET. The more DEET a repellent contains, the longer time it gives protection from mosquito bites. DEET concentrations higher than 50% do not increase the length of protection.

Use insect repellent products with no more than 35 % DEET for adults and less than 10% for children. These are safe and effective for repelling mosquitoes.

Use care in applying repellent to children: don't put repellent on their hands, and be careful to avoid their mouths and eyes. Products containing 10% or less DEET are the most appropriate for children aged 2 - 12 years.

For more information on how to Fight the Bite, click here.

Prevention of Outbreaks:

Prevention and control of West Nile Virus and other arboviral diseases is accomplished through integrated vector management programs. These programs include surveillance for virus activity in mosquitoes, birds, horses, other animals, and humans. Mosquito control measures are implemented on an ongoing basis within the South Coast Vector Control District. If and when virus activity is detected in an area, residents will be alerted to ensure reduced contact with mosquitoes.

Where to Call with Questions: