Providence Journal 8/27/00 Back

The West Nile virus was detected in dead crows in Westerly and Newport yesterday, the Department of Environmental Management reported, marking the third time the virus has been found in Rhode Island this month.

The DEM found the potentially fatal virus in a crow found on Sherwood Drive, south of Route 1 and near the Westerly Airport, on Aug. 17. In Newport, an American crow with the virus was found on Cliff Terrace on Aug. 16.

The DEM tested the birds at the University of Rhode Island's virology clinic laboratory and received the results last night.

Westerly town employees will spray insecticide tomorrow night - weather permitting - on the ground within a two-mile radius of where the crow

was found, Stephanie Powell, a DEM spokeswoman said last night. As of late last night, Newport city officials had still not determined when they would spray, but they are expected to announce their plans today, Powell said, adding that spraying in that city would extend into Middletown.

The DEM will also make available local telephone numbers today that residents can call for information.

The West Nile Virus was detected in a dead crow in Warwick earlier this month, the first time the virus had been confirmed in the state. Crews responded by spraying a two-mile radius surrounding 292 Pine St., where the dead crow was found.

The West Nile virus, in rare cases, can be fatal to humans. It can occasionally cause encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. But most humans who contract it experience only flu-like effects and recover. The most probable carrier of West Nile seems to be the common house mosquito, which is abundant in urban areas. Last year, the first time the virus appeared in the United States, seven people in the New York City area died from encephalitis caused by West Nile. This year, there have been three confirmed cases, all of them in New York and none of them fatal.

So far this year, West Nile virus had been detected in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland and New Jersey, Powell said, so it is not surprising that it would turn up in Rhode Island.

Three New York City residents contracted the illness this summer and are expected to recover, the DEM said. Powell said residents should not become alarmed, but that they should continue taking the same steps to prevent getting mosquito bites that "hopefully, they've been taking all summer."

"It is a reminder that all Rhode Islanders should continue to take personal protection steps to avoid mosquito bites, and to prevent mosquito breeding grounds around their homes," she said.

"We are telling people to think of mosquito repellent like they think of sunscreen," she said.

Stagnant water is often a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

No spraying will occur near open water or crops, Powell said.

The spraying involves the use of the pesticide Sumithrin, which the DEM is supplying to Westerly, Middletown and Newport. The pesticides are also used in pet shampoos, flea sprays, and household insect sprays.

Powell said Westerly has already done some mosquito spraying because its many swamps make it attractive to mosquitoes.

Yesterday's announcement came just a day after the DEM announced that its most recent series of mosquito tests showed no sign of the West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis viruses.

Mosquitoes from 59 pools and 27 traps around the state all tested negative from the viruses. One mosquito, a so-called "bird biter" because it does not bite humans, was trapped in Westerly, and did test positive for the Highland J virus.

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Posted by Anthony Benoit abenoit@trcc.commnet.edu
Environmental Engineering Technology at Three Rivers