Council appeasing West Nile concerns

Andrew Edwards

Dead birds. Mosquitoes. Standing water. West Nile Virus has become a

growing concern in Laguna, possible evidence of the disease can set

people on edge. In response to these concerns, city officials plan to

send a mailer to Lagunans providing basic information about the

disease.

The City Council authorized city staffers to spend up to $5,000

preparing a mailer. The idea was proposed by Mayor Cheryl Kinsman and

approved by a 4-0 vote. Only four votes were cast since Councilman

Steve Dicterow was absent.

The mailer has not yet been designed, but Kinsman said she wants

it to include basic health information similar to that provided by

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as

Laguna-specific information such as phone numbers that locals can

call if they find a dead bird.

The mailer should be delivered with the city’s annual report,

which is expected to be mailed in the next couple of weeks, City

Manager Ken Frank said. The city will mail the items together to save

on the cost of postage.

Birds can carry West Nile virus, but cannot transmit the disease

to humans. Though 16 dead birds carrying West Nile have been found in

Laguna, mosquitoes found in Laguna by vector control authorities that

were submitted for testing have not tested positive for the virus,

Orange County Vector Control spokesman Michael Hearst said.