Veterinary Public Health Program
313 N Figueroa St. Rm 1127
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tel (213) 288-7060
Fax (213) 481-2375 vet@ph.lacounty.gov
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The first
West-Nile Virus-positive dead bird of 2008
was found on April 28, and the last was
found on November 25. The number
of dead birds that were testing positive for
West Nile Virus (WNV) in Los Angeles
County in 2008 was its highest level
since 2004, which was the first full year
after the virus arrived in our county.
This
increase may have had various causes. One
theory is that the mortgage crisis led to an
increase in neglected swimming pools, which
created more habitat in which mosquitoes
could breed.
WNV is at its greatest activity during the
warmer, summer and early autumn months. The
amount of WNV in the environment changes
from year to year. Los Angeles County residents
should always should take
precautions to avoid mosquitoes, which
transmit the virus. For more
information on WNV, please click
here.
Year
Number of
dead birds testing positive for WNV between
Jan and Sept 24 of each year
2008
377
2007
127
2006
63
2005
138
2004
292*
*The 2004 number may be artificially
low. In 2004, WNV testing of dead
birds was stopped in ZIP codes where WNV-positive
birds had already been found, in order to
conserve resources. This restriction
was not in place in 2005, 2006, 2007, or in
2008 (as of Sept 3, 2008).
