With the opening of California's dove hunting season, southern California hunters, in particular, need to be aware that the WNV was recently detected in mosquitoes and sentinel chicken flocks in Imperial County. That area includes vast wetlands, known to be prime hunting grounds to game bird enthusiasts. Presently, Imperial County is the only area in the state where the virus has been detected, according to the California Department of Health Services.
All hunters who take to the fields this fall should take precautions against being bitten by mosquitoes, which breed in wetland habitats and are most active at dawn and dusk, said John Carlson, DFG Wildlife Programs Branch chief.
"Before going into the field, cover up and use insect repellant containing DEET to fend off mosquitoes," Carlson recommends. "Just like people take precautions to avoid snake bites, they should take precautions to avoid being infected by the West Nile virus."
This national epidemic has led to a lot of questions about hunters being exposed when dressing out harvested birds, and whether they should be concerned about eating the game they harvest. According to the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC), some game bird species have tested positive for WNV. However, there is no evidence of human infection by consumption of properly cooked infected game. Another precaution NWHC says hunters can take is to wear gloves when dressing or cleaning birds to protect against accidental injury and exposure to blood. Also, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling carcasses and be sure to cook the meat thoroughly.
WNV is a mosquito-borne disease that can cause encephalitis in people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Birds are the natural hosts for this virus, which can be transmitted from infected birds to humans and other animals through the bite of an infected mosquito. A total of 138 bird species have been reported to CDC's West Nile virus avian mortality database from 1999 to present.
Human illness from WNV is rare even in areas where the virus has been reported. Less than 1 percent of the people who are bitten by an infected mosquito ever become seriously ill. For additional information about WNV in California, log on to http://www.westnile.ca.gov. For CDC's list of bird species that have been infected by WNV, log on to http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/birdspecies.htm and for CDC's wild game hunters page, log on to http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/wnv_hunters.htm
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