Then, of course, a half-dozen bites on the legs and arms was a sign that the diem had been thoroughly carpe-ed, a badge of summertime honor along with grass-stained knees and tongues turned purple by grape popsicles.
The past few years, though, those itchy bumps have been cause for worry.
That’s because West Nile virus has entrenched itself firmly in the Central Valley. And we have our blood-sucking insect friends to thank for passing it on to us.
Earlier this week, San Joaquin County’s first human case of the virus in 2009 was confirmed by Public Health Services. Luckily, according to reports, the man isn’t in serious danger. Evidently, he didn’t even know he was carrying the virus. He only found out about it when he donated blood — which should also make us feel better about our blood-screening processes.
Of course, this was reported by nearly every local newspaper and newscast, just as almost any local story about West Nile is reported in the Tracy Press and any other media outlet within shouting distance.
Keep in mind, this man’s case is not atypical. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vast majority of people infected by the virus — and it’s only a minority of vampire-bug victims who contract West Nile — never show any symptoms. And those who do typically get better after suffering some flu-like discomfort.
This begs the question: Is it worth devoting so much ink and ether to detailing the spread of a mostly harmless disease?
If you ask the experts, the answer is yes. They’ll say it so fast you won’t even be able to finish your question.
It’s not difficult to imagine why. According to the CDC, if you’re that unlucky 1 of 150 people who contract a more severe form of the disease, you might face:
• headache
• high fever
• neck stiffness
• stupor
• tremors
• convulsions
• lifelong neurological damage
• coma
• death
And yes, this county has seen a few instances of that last one.
Throw in the fact — as pointed out by San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District Manager John Stroh — that the Central Valley’s spring water surge, irrigated agricultural land and suburban characteristics make it a mosquito haven, and it’s a little more clear why West Nile virus generates concern in public health circles.
However, there’s no need for concern to become panic. As said before, it’s a rare case of West Nile that leads to serious illness. And commonsense measures — not going outside at dusk without repellent, draining standing water, maintaining swimming pools, etc. — go a long way toward reducing the risk of getting infected.
Let’s also not forget that local vector control district, which since 1945 has employed a wide arsenal in the fight to tamp down bug-borne illness. That approach now includes, according to public relations officer Aaron Devencenzi, community education, eradicating breeding grounds, chemical spray operations and employing tiny fish to bite mosquitoes before they bite humans.
And those disease-defying services provided by vector control are, all things considered, not a bad investment. According to Stroh, the district does its job for about $6 million a year in county property, benefit and special assessment taxes — or what equates to the cost of a can of Deep Woods OFF! for a typical property owner.
Despite all the effort and attention, West Nile is not the next Black Death. It’s just something to be careful about — like cooking ground beef all the way through.
If you follow the advice of all those news reports, you’ll probably be fine.
Though if you do get sick and think it might be West Nile, call a doctor. Because, like guarding against pirates on the Delta, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
• Share your thoughts at jmendelson@tracypress.com.
While it initially sounds like a good idea I don't think it's a good one. Here's why:
1: The local water table is very high in this area. If you drain the pool completely it will tend to "float" out of the ground rendering it completely useless and valueless.
2: Even though no one should be back there, some neighborhood child exploring the area, or even someone up to no good at night should fall into the open pool and kill themselves.
A better solution is to have the owner, in this case the lending institution, keep the place up by keeping the pool clean and the grass watered and mowed so it isn't an impact on the rest of the homeowners in the area who really haven't done anything wrong yet suffer declining property values first, as a result of the foreclosure and the appraised values of their properties, and a further decline of the financial worth of their properties because it may be adjacent to a foreclosed home the banks and lending institutions have allowed to grow up in three foot high dry weeds, a fire hazard, and a pool that looks like a science project growing in a huge Petri dish.
The banks and lending institutions got their bailouts from the Fed, let them use some of that money to responsibly and legally maintain those properties just like the rest of us homeowners who have managed to stay out of the foreclosure problem.
I don't know about you but I am getting sick and tired of driving around our town looking at all the foreclosed properties that are owned by the banks and lending institutions but are allowed to go un-maintained thus causing the rest of us problems we didn't start.
This particular neighbor that lost his home did not want to get out of paying the principal of the loan. All he wanted was a time extension on the note in order to make his payments affordable. The lending institution refused to work with him and, after a couple of months, decided not to even have the courtesy of returning his telephone calls. He has a good paying job and in the four years he and his family lived adjacent to my house they were excellent neighbors.
None of that apparently mattered to the lending institution who apparently thinks that foreclosing on the note due to external market problems and payoffs, throwing families out on the street and reselling the home at a dramatic reduction in price is the best way to go.
Sorry but there seems to be something inherently wrong in that mindset.
Dave Hardesty
CN
Thank you for the timely information. Your office should have received an email from me on this topic. I shall be waiting for their response.
Dave Hardesty
Aaron Devencenzi, PIO SJCMVCD