Tuolumne Supes Approve West Nile Plan

The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors today adopted a plan for dealing with the West Nile Virus. Officials believe the disease will reach California by this summer.

County Health Officer Dr. Todd Stolp told supervisors that the plan focuses heavily on making the public and physicians aware of what the symptoms are. If doctors are ready to easily diagnose the disease, it will be easier to deal with.

Out of 3,000 horses in the county, about 700 hundred have already received West Nile Vaccinations. Horses that get the virus have a 30% death rate.

The plan also includes surveillance of mosquitos, which carry West Nile. Birds like ravens and crows also carry it. Stolp says that presents another challenge because those wild animals obviously won´t get vaccines.