Marlborough tests positive for West Nile virus

MARLBOROUGH - The first bird in the state to test positive this year for West Nile virus - a disease sometimes fatal for humans - was found in Marlborough, according to the state Department of Public Health.
State health officials tested the dead bird found in Marlborough and alerted the city late Thursday, said Karen Kisty, executive assistant to the mayor. Kisty said while people should take note, she does not think it will cause major concern.
"While you need to take the precaution, it’s not something I think that throws people into a tizzy,” Kisty said. "Obviously, people are aware of West Nile virus and people are familiar with the parameters of keeping safe.”


Using insect repellent can prevent people from contracting the virus, which spreads through mosquitoes, said Department of Public Health spokeswoman Donna Rheaume.
"Once we see a positive result in a bird, what that tells us is the virus is out there,” Rheaume said. "It tells us people need to take appropriate protective measures. They should use repellent with DEET. There are other types of repellents they can use, if people don’t want to use DEET.”
To decrease the likelihood of coming into contact with mosquitoes, Rheaume said, people should try to eliminate places where standing water collects.
"Those are places where mosquitoes like to breed: tires, pool covers, bird baths,” Rheaume said. "And be sure screens don’t have any holes in them.”
July frequently is the time when officials start finding birds that test positive for West Nile virus. So far, no human cases have been detected, she said.
"We usually don’t see the first human cases until August,” Rheaume said. "Typically, first we see it in birds and mosquitoes.”
West Nile can cause flu-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, nausea, vomiting and sometimes swollen glands, Rheaume said. Sometimes a rash on the chest, back or stomach will occur. In more severe cases people can come down with meningitis or encephalitis.
The virus rarely is fatal in humans, Rheaume said, and about 80 percent of people who have the virus do not show symptoms.
"Most people don’t even know they have West Nile,” Rheaume said. "A small number of people have flu-like symptoms and less than 1 percent of people who get West Nile develop serious illness.”
There is no treatment for West Nile, according to the state health department Web site, but those with severe symptoms should be hospitalized. About 10 percent of those seriously affected will die, according to the state.
Those most at risk are the elderly and the very young, Rheaume said.
Last year three people in Massachusetts got West Nile virus, according to the state. Since 2000, 54 people statewide have contracted the virus, with 18 cases in 2003 and 24 in 2002.
In 2002, a 69-year-old Marlborough woman was infected with West Nile virus and came down with meningitis as a result. Infected birds have been found in the city in prior years: four in 2003 and two in 2002.
State officials have received calls about more than 1,500 dead birds and have tested 101 so far in 2007, according to the Department of Public Health Web site. The bird found in Marlborough is the only one to test positive for the virus.