Warning Issued on Mosquito-Spread Encephalitis Virus

Health officials are urging residents to avoid exposure to the St. Louis encephalitis virus, which has been detected in pigeons in the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area in Encino.

The disease is spread to humans by mosquitoes that have ingested the blood of infected pigeons, Barbara Gondo of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services said Thursday.

Gondo said officials have put up signs advising visitors to the dam to wear long-sleeved shirts and apply insect repellent.

The disease, which causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, is usually mild in humans but can be severe, officials said. Symptoms usually include fever, severe headache and nausea. In rare cases, confusion, tremors, paralysis, coma and death may occur.

There were no reported cases in Los Angeles County in the last two years, but 21 people became ill and one person died of the disease between 1983 and 1986, Gondo said.

Officials are advising residents to check pots, jars, old tires and other sources of stagnant water that might be mosquito-breeding areas. Also, ponds, swimming pools and sprinklers should be properly maintained, Gondo said.

People with mosquito problems can call the Southeast Mosquito Abatement District at (818) 764-2010 or (213) 927-6526. The number in the Antelope Valley is (805) 942-2917.