Race Move Caused by Virus Fear

Fear of cross-country runners contracting the potentially deadly St. Louis Encephalitis virus via mosquito bites has led to a change in location for a meet between Agoura, Crescenta Valley and Burbank high schools.

The season opener was scheduled to be held Thursday at Griffith Park, but it was moved because Los Angeles County health officials reported Monday that the virus, a seasonal threat that surfaced last month, has spread to Griffith Park and El Dorado Park in Long Beach, suggesting it has become endemic in the county’s mosquito population.

“I don’t know what the probability of [someone contacting the disease] is, but I don’t think it’s worth taking a chance,” Agoura Coach Bill Duley said.

“If someone got sick, we’d be negligent,” Crescenta Valley Coach Keith Gilliland added.

Routine blood samples taken last month from chickens kept in coops in the parks tested positive for the virus, which can cause inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

Authorities received confirmation of the test results Sept. 3, less than a month after announcing that the virus was detected in birds in Monterey Park and at two Orange County sites.

The infected bird in Griffith Park was located in a coop that is approximately a half-mile from the start of the cross-country course near Wilson Golf Course, according to Burbank Coach Cal Linam.

Known as the “Old Zoo” course because of its proximity to the old Los Angeles Zoo site, the course is used for several high school and youth meets each year.

Burbank was scheduled to contest its first four meets there, including the first Foothill League meet Oct. 3.

The “Old Zoo” course is one of two popular cross-country courses in Griffith Park.

The other is located in the south end of the park near the Greek Theater and is scheduled to host the Bell-Jeff Invitational on Sept. 28 and the first Western State Conference junior college meet on Oct. 11.

Numerous conference meets involving 19 City Section schools are also scheduled to be held at the course next month.

Glendale College Coach Eddie Lopez, whose team will play host to the first WSC meet, said he doesn’t expect to change the site of the race because of the distance between the “Greek Theater” course and the “Old Zoo” course.

Coach Jim Couch, the meet director of the Bell-Jeff Invitational, could not be reached for comment.

The Encephalitis virus cannot be transmitted from person to person, but can be carried from birds to people via mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes pass it on to their larvae when they breed. There is no known cure.