I really hope, for the sake of Hawai'i, that the dead sparrow discovered at Kahului Airport and which tested positive for West Nile virus is found in a couple of weeks to be a false positive.
West Nile virus is really only deadly to older people, infants and those with suppressed immune systems (healthy adults may suffer symptoms similar to the flu), but once it's confirmed to be in the area, you will never be able to get rid of it. It may also endanger your endangered native bird population, too. Up here on the Mainland, we have a cold season so the mosquitos die off until warmer weather, but you guys over there are plagued by mosquitos year round with your temperate climate.
If you remember the dengue fever plague on Maui a couple of years ago, West Nile will be much more problemmatical and harder to eradicate.
A simple thing you can do: remove all standing water. Mosquitos especially love to breed in things like old tires, cans filled with rainwater, etc. If you have fishponds, you can get commercial surfactants that will kill mosquitoes but spare fish and plants.
Please kokua and reduce the possibility of infectious, bird borne viruses in Hawai'i.
Mahalo,
Miulang
News story: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../ln/ln07a.html
West Nile virus is really only deadly to older people, infants and those with suppressed immune systems (healthy adults may suffer symptoms similar to the flu), but once it's confirmed to be in the area, you will never be able to get rid of it. It may also endanger your endangered native bird population, too. Up here on the Mainland, we have a cold season so the mosquitos die off until warmer weather, but you guys over there are plagued by mosquitos year round with your temperate climate.
If you remember the dengue fever plague on Maui a couple of years ago, West Nile will be much more problemmatical and harder to eradicate.
A simple thing you can do: remove all standing water. Mosquitos especially love to breed in things like old tires, cans filled with rainwater, etc. If you have fishponds, you can get commercial surfactants that will kill mosquitoes but spare fish and plants.
Please kokua and reduce the possibility of infectious, bird borne viruses in Hawai'i.
Mahalo,
Miulang
News story: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../ln/ln07a.html
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