Virus

Jackson Bell After state officials announced the first fatality from the West Nile virus, Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Glendale) turned up the pressure Thursday on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to drop proposed budgets cuts in mosquito control. Assemblywoman Nicole Parra (D-Bakersfield) joined Frommer's call to restore about $12 million in funding to vector control districts throughout the state. Parra got on board after birds in the Central Valley recently tested positive for the virus.

Robert Chacon Los Angeles County public health officials made a presentation to a handful of business owners in Glendale Friday to continue educating the public about the West Nile virus. Business owners at the presentation vowed to share the information with their customers. "Because of the business I'm in, I need to keep up with this and I should be here in person," said Michael Allison, owner of Med Link, a business that stores people's medical information on identification cards.

GLENDALE — The first West Nile virus-related death in Los Angeles County and the discovery in Burbank of a bird carrying the virus have area health officials keeping a close eye on the virus. A man infected with West Nile virus died earlier this month, possibly marking the first death caused by the virus this year, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced Friday. The San Fernando Valley resident, who was more than 80 years old and had several chronic medical problems, died in early August after a brief hospitalization, department spokeswoman Rachel Tyree said.

Officials warn dog owners of virus A deadly distemper outbreak among gray foxes has Los Angeles Animal Services officials warning San Fernando Valley residents to make sure their pets ? especially dogs ? are vaccinated against the easily transferable virus. Signs of the disease were first reported in July and have since been found in La Cañada-Flintridge and Sierra Madre, with at least 20 suspected cases discovered in Pasadena, Glendale and Tujunga. While no cases have been confirmed in domestic pets, animal health officials are calling on pet owners to take precautions against the airborne virus that can cause vomiting, partial paralysis and even death.

Josh Kleinbaum Hoping to prevent deadly mosquito bites, Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Glendale) is biting into a contentious budget debate. Frommer asked members of the budget conference committee, which is trying to hammer out a deal over the state budget, to make two changes to the budget to help control the spread of the West Nile virus. Frommer asked the committee to give $1 million to the state's Department of Health Services to develop a strategic plan for surveillance, prevention and control of the West Nile virus, and to restore $12 million of proposed cuts to vector control districts throughout the state.

Claudia Peschiutta THORNYCORFT -- In a solemn sanctuary where the sounds of the outside world are nothing more than whispers, JoAnn Banks tackled a tremendous amount of pain without making a move. She prayed. The 33-year-old Sunland resident said she came to the World AIDS Day interfaith prayer vigil at First Lutheran Church Wednesday night because she has seen the virus take whole circles of friends away from people. "There's a lot of pain and a lot of suffering and I guess that's what I'm praying about here today," Banks said.

GLENDALE — Amid forecasts of a wet winter and federal health advisories warning of a worse rash of the H1N1 influenza virus, the Glendale Unified School District has already purchased $12,000 worth of hand sanitizer in an effort to stop the spread of illness, administrators said. More than 43,000 confirmed and probable cases of H1N1 virus have been reported in the U.S., including 593 deaths, and tens of thousands of hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Ryan Carter Two out of the three Glendale hospitals are not participating in the county's voluntary smallpox vaccination program, a stance that could change as war grips the nation, officials said. Glendale Adventist Medical Center and Verdugo Hills Hospital staffs have yet to participate. Not surprising, Verdugo Hills CEO Leonard LaBella said, since few hospitals in the country have implemented the program. "I think most of what's happening nationwide is concern about the risk associated with [smallpox vaccinations]

Guest Column by CAROL CORMACI Muddled by some nasty virus, my head couldn't at first quite focus yesterday morning on the TV news report of the commuter train catastrophe in Glendale. I could see a map pointing out the San Fernando Road/Chevy Chase location of the smashup and my initial reaction was to wonder if my husband had taken the train to work and whether or not he was safe. Gil does occasionally travel to or from his office in Oxnard out of the Glendale train station, but not this week.

Eight samples in the tri-city region, including two dead crows, have tested positive for West Nile virus, prompting warnings from vector control officials. The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District collected three positive mosquito samples in Burbank, two in San Marino and one in Glendale. Two dead crows - one found on Garden Street, the other on Hillcrest Avenue, in Glendale - also tested positive for West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne illness. The virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes that have bitten infected birds.

Eleven mosquito samples in Burbank have tested positive for the West Nile virus, and an infected dead bird was found in Glendale, prompting local officials to renew calls for eliminating standing pools of water where the insects prefer to breed. “It's been such an epidemic year,” said Truc Dever, a spokeswoman for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. The infected house sparrow was found dead in the 1000 block of Willard Avenue in Glendale. The 11 mosquito samples that tested positive for the virus in Burbank were from sites scattered across the city.

An outbreak of a potentially deadly equine herpes virus that has affected 18 horses in California has kept ticket sales for the Memorial Day Classic, a weeklong riding show at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, at about half of what they should be, according to a spokeswoman for the event. All 18 horses affected by the equine herpes virus-1, a highly contagious airborne virus, were placed under quarantine, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. No new cases have been reported since May 23. Humans are not at risk of contracting the virus, for which there is no vaccine.

GLENDALE — Nine-year-old Brandon Mata may not get a chance to show off his Dracula costume, not because his neighborhood’s unsafe, but because his mom’s wary of swine flu. “Maybe, this year it is not going to be very fun,” said his mom, Laura Estrada. “Maybe we don’t go out this year and just stay home. I will buy him candy instead.” For many parents, fears of stomachaches or crime this Halloween have been trumped by the potentially deadly H1N1 virus, which continues to spread throughout Los Angeles County.

GLENDALE — Amid forecasts of a wet winter and federal health advisories warning of a worse rash of the H1N1 influenza virus, the Glendale Unified School District has already purchased $12,000 worth of hand sanitizer in an effort to stop the spread of illness, administrators said. More than 43,000 confirmed and probable cases of H1N1 virus have been reported in the U.S., including 593 deaths, and tens of thousands of hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

BURBANK — County vector officials this week confirmed that a mosquito sample taken in the 91502 ZIP code tested positive for West Nile virus, the city’s first positive sample of an insect population that could easily permeate into Glendale, officials said. The sample, collected from a trap along Elmwood Avenue, was one of 29 additional mosquito samples from 10 cities, including Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks, that tested positive for the West Nile virus, said Crystal Brown, a spokeswoman for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District.

The West Nile virus made its way to La Crescenta this week in the first confirmed case for the year in the Foothills. A crow that dropped out of the sky into the driveway of Crescenta Valley Town Council Mayor Grace Andrus’ home the evening of June 26 was infected with the disease, according to the Los Angeles County Public Health Department. Andrus’ 15-year-old son Danny saw the bird fall and was “fascinated” by the dead animal, Andrus said. Danny retrieved gloves and a shovel to “bag the bird.

Officials warn dog owners of virus A deadly distemper outbreak among gray foxes has Los Angeles Animal Services officials warning San Fernando Valley residents to make sure their pets ? especially dogs ? are vaccinated against the easily transferable virus. Signs of the disease were first reported in July and have since been found in La Cañada-Flintridge and Sierra Madre, with at least 20 suspected cases discovered in Pasadena, Glendale and Tujunga. While no cases have been confirmed in domestic pets, animal health officials are calling on pet owners to take precautions against the airborne virus that can cause vomiting, partial paralysis and even death.