SAN JOSE — Three dead crows have tested positive for West Nile virus in Santa Clara County, and Vector Control officials said Friday that they serve as an alert for residents to go into mosquito-season mode.
Two of the birds were found in San Jose, in the southern Cambrian Park and Edenvale neighborhoods; the third was in Cupertino. They were reported on March 19 and 20.
“It’s not particularly early; we’ve had much earlier detections,” said Denise Bonilla of the Santa Clara County Vector Control District. “But we want to urge residents to work with us and start reporting mosquito problems, neglected pools, and avoid mosquito bites.”
Last year was a record season for dead West Nile-infected birds in Santa Clara County, with 925 testing positive. There were 11 human cases in the county.
Once a bird is counted as positive, Vector Control rigs mosquito traps in the area. If West Nile carriers are found, the area is marked for fogging. Bonilla said they are still watching for trends before setting mosquito traps.
For more information on virus prevention in Santa Clara County, visit www.sccvector.org. To report dead birds online, visit www.westnile.ca.gov.
Contact Eric Kurhi at 408-920-5852. Follow him at Twitter.com/erickurhi.
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