The OC Register has reported the first documented case of the West Nile virus in Orange County in a bird this season - in a crow - found dead in Irvine at the end of February 2009.
The find seems to be "ringing in [the] West Nile season" in Southern California, as the article mentions, however, there is good news to be told - "Vector Control, which tracks animal diseases that can jump to humans, is finding more West Nile antibodies in the blood of wild birds." Conclusion: be aware of any insect bites you may get while outdoors, but don't let this phenomenon scare you from being outside.
Read the entire article HERE.
On a somewhat related note, I thought I'd share that on a recent hike with some naturalists, I was also told that the common western fence lizards found in our natural surroundings produce a canceling effect on the Lyme disease bacteria that our OC ticks can sometimes hold and transmit. According to Berkeley scientists, "ticks who feast on the blood of the common western fence lizard are purged of any Lyme disease bacteria hiding in their gut," leaving them disease-free and incapable of transmitting the disease to their next contact. (See the article posted HERE for more details - it's rather fascinating!).
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