A bald eagle, red-tailed hawk and American crow are this year's first reported victims of West Nile virus in Lake County, vector control officials reported Friday.
It could be a sign that West Nile infections will be up this year, said Jamesina Scott, district manager and research director of the Lake County Vector Control District.
"There is virus in the bird population. It means we've got the right building blocks for a big year," she said. But that's difficult to predict, Scott added.
The bird deaths do not mean that the mosquitoes that transmit the disease to humans are out early.
The birds likely were infected in the winter, when there is no mosquito activity, Scott said.
They probably acquired the disease by feasting on other animals that died of West Nile or that carried the disease but were not themselves sick, she said.
More than 50 bald eagles that preyed on infected waterfowl in Utah reportedly died over the winter, Scott said.
The birds' deaths should serve as a reminder to prepare for mosquito season, she said.
That includes eliminating stagnant water — whether in an irrigation ditch, swimming pool or bucket of water — in which mosquitoes breed.
Once mosquitoes arrive, people should avoid going outside at dawn and dusk when the biting insects are most active and wear mosquito repellent when they do, health officials say.
Fewer than 1 percent of people infected with the virus develop serious illness, officials said. About 20 percent will experience milder symptoms that can include body aches, nausea, rashes, swollen lymph nodes and vomiting. Most people who become infected will not have symptoms.
However, there is no cure for the illness, so it's best to prevent being bitten, officials warn.
(You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com.)
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