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Dead Bird In West Hollywood Postive For West Nile

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Sep 21, 2007 11:39 pm US/Pacific

Dead Bird In West Hollywood Postive For West Nile

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (CBS) ― A dead bird collected in West Hollywood tested positive for West Nile virus, the first in the city, health officials said Friday.

The bird was tested positive on Wednesday, according to officials of the Los Angeles County West Vector and Vector-Borne Disease Control District.

Statewide, 1,070 birds have tested positive for the virus this year, and there have been 257 human cases of West Nile.

West Nile is spread to humans from a bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes can become infected by biting a diseased bird. The virus cannot be spread by person-to-person contact or directly from birds to people, according to health officials.

People can decrease their risk of infection by avoiding mosquito-infested areas at dawn and dusk; wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants when outdoors; using repellents containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus; cleaning and chlorinating swimming pools; and emptying and washing birdbaths and wading pools weekly.

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.