Area avoids West Nile infections

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — The West Nile virus season is practically finished and it appears, at this point in time, that Cibola County has come through it relatively unscathed, says Public Works Director Jimmy Chavez.

"We only had one horse diagnosed with West Nile and no humans," he says.

The county has one more batch of trapped mosquitoes to send to the testing lab, from an upcoming trapping on Oct. 17, he says.

The county has been testing every other Monday since May 1, and has sent 1,127 mosquitoes into the Bernalillo Public health Laboratory.

Being more aggressive with spraying for both adult mosquitoes and larvae this year is credited with being so successful, Chavez says.

People who contract the virus can become extremely ill and it can also be fatal. It is spread by mosquitoes who bite an infected bird, than transfer the virus to whatever it bites after becoming infected from the bird, mostly horses and humans

"We have been using the same insecticides for two years. They have been a good, but after next year we will change," he says.

"I don't like to use the same insecticide more than three years," he says. "The mosquitoes adapt to it and it becomes less effective."

This year the vector control department used about 300 gallons of the adult insecticide.

They used between 90-100 gallons of infanticide on the larvae, because the larvae is not sprayed as much, only in standing water. The adult insecticide is sprayed almost daily.

"There was so much rain this year, more than last year.

"After three days we would go and spray pools of standing water, that's where the mosquitoes lay their eggs," he says.

"But we don't go into the Rio San Jose after dark, we wait until its light."

Chavez says Ramah/Pine Fence Lake, concentrating on San Rafael, Milan, Grants, Cubero, Mt. Taylor and Seboyeta.

There are two employees doing the spraying and both have a vector control license as applicators.

Ballfields, parks and areas where people would gather received extra attention and spraying, he says.

"We are not out of the woods yet, still another week or so," he says.

Typically the West Nile virus season ends when nighttime temperatures start hitting freezing, he says.