West Nile virus found in Hub

By David Talbot and Jules Crittenden

July 27, 2000 Web posted at: 10:25 AM EDT (1425 GMT)

BOSTON, Massachusetts (The Boston Herald) -- Health officials plan to fog parts of Jamaica Plain - and possibly Brookline - with pesticides after finding the Bay State's first case of mosquito-borne West Nile virus in a dead crow near Jamaica Pond, officials said yesterday.

``The virus is here,'' said Alfred DiMaria, assistant commissioner at the state Department of Public Health. ``We need to be on the lookout for potential (human) cases.''

The virus - which first appeared in the U.S. last year, killing seven people near its Queens, N.Y., epicenter - is not known to have infected any Massachusetts residents, officials stressed.

However, a child from Jamaica Plain was tested for the virus after being admitted to Children's Hospital yesterday afternoon, hospital spokeswoman Michelle Davis said.

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The child's symptoms ``could relate to any number of different illnesses, including encephalitis,'' Davis said. ``Until the test results come back, our infectious disease experts caution against assuming there is any connection between this patient and the West Nile virus.''

She declined to say what symptoms the child was manifesting, citing the parents' request for anonymity and only said the child was in serious condition in the intensive-care unit.

With the highest-risk weeks just ahead, officials plan to push ahead with truck-based fogging of parks and neighborhoods around Willow Pond, adjacent to Jamaica Pond, where the crow carcass was found Saturday.

At a press conference, Mayor Thomas M. Menino - asked if the spray decision was an overreaction - said, ``I'd rather jump the gun than be sorry later on. I don't have any markings on the bird to indicate where it is from.''

In theory, the crow could have been infected as far as 200 miles away. But mosquitoes could have fed on the bird locally - even after its death - and become able to infect humans.

For this reason, some experts have advised spraying as much as a two-mile radius around Willow Pond, said Dr. Anita Barry, a director at Boston's Public Health Commission.

The decision on how much to spray will be based, in part, on whether the virus is found in mosquitoes caught near the pond. Those test results are due today. Spraying cannot be done during rain, but could begin with a few hours notice once the weather clears.

``It is impossible to predict how much spraying we will do,'' said Barry. ``We will not start with a two-mile radius. We will start with a much smaller area.''

Spraying is most effective at dusk, and residents will be alerted through radio and television notices, Barry said. During spraying, people are advised to stay indoors with the windows closed and keep pets and children inside.

Nevertheless, ``people do not need to be overly concerned about the effects of the spray,'' she said.

Since Willow Pond lies on the border of Brookline, that city's Board of Selectmen must determine whether to spray locally. Alan Balsam, Brookline's health commissioner, said he will recommend spraying, and that a decision will be made by tomorrow.

Environmental activists were concerned about the spraying.

``While dealing with one public health threat, we don't want to create another one,'' said Matthew Wilson, director of the Boston-based Toxics Action Center, an environmental group. ``These pesticides are toxic chemicals.''

Prior to yesterday's announcement, the virus had only been detected in greater New York City. The closest finding to Boston was in the Stamford, Conn., area.

The virus usually produces only flu-like symptoms, but can be fatal to the elderly or people with weakened immune systems.

Although infected birds and mosquitoes continue to be found around New York City, that region has not had a single human case this year, and health officials credit that city's education and spraying campaigns.

In New York, infected mosquitoes were found Monday in Central Park, forcing postponement of a concert there so the park could be sprayed.

Portions of lower Fairfield County, Conn., were sprayed Tuesday night after infected mosquitoes were found last week in Stamford. Officials postponed spraying large sections of Manhattan last night because of rainy weather, but hope to do so tonight.

This year, Bay State health officials have been actively looking for the virus in dead birds and captured mosquitoes.

``It's totally expected. This is why we set up a surveillance program - so we could find this bird,'' said Bela Matyas, a state health epidemiologist. ``It allows to define an area where the disease might take hold, and get the word out.''

The pesticides likely to be used are in a class called synthetic pyrethroids, which are said to mimic a naturally occurring pesticide found in chrysanthemums. The chemicals are resmethrin, active ingredient in the brand Scourge; and sumithrin, active ingredient in the brand Anvil.

The crow was discovered by a parks worker. The virus was detected in the crow's brain Tuesday night and confirmed yesterday at 1 p.m.

``I run around here all the time,'' said Meredith Laban, 25, a youth worker from Jamaica Plain, taking a break as she jogged around Jamaica Pond. ``I'm a little bit freaked out now that I know about it.''

Residents interviewed yesterday had mixed feelings about the prospects of the spraying.

``Is it going to make people sick? Maybe they shouldn't spray the area right away. I think they should do more testing before they decide to spray,'' said Cesarina Torrero, 22, of Roslindale.

``If the city feels that it's a good preventative measure to stop the spread of the disease, then they should go ahead and spray the area,'' said Beth Rodenhauser, 24, a Fidelity Investments employee from Brookline.

New York's Central Park reopens after mosquito spraying

CDC-The West Nile Virus

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