Virus

The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recommends the public take the following precautions to avoid West Nile virus infection. Since mosquitos are attracted to stagnant water, clean gutters to allow water to flow freely. Remove old tires or drill holes in tires used for playground equipment. Turn over wading pools, wheelbarrows, wagons and carts when not in use. Replace water in birdbaths at least twice a week. Turn garbage can lids upside down and make sure trash receptacles don't contain water.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Although it is not clear why, horses are particularly susceptible to the West Nile virus, a Jefferson County health official said. An increasing number of horses in the country are showing up dead or showing symptoms of the disease, and in Minnesota, eight have died from the virus, said James Hecker, chairman of the Jefferson County Board of Health. The risk is not great for horses at the Charles Town Races because horses that are highly valued are usually vaccinated for the disease, Hecker said.

andrews@herald-mail.com A dead crow found in Greenbrier State Park near Boonsboro last week tested positive for West Nile virus, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Tuesday. It was Washington County's first confirmed case of the disease, said Rod MacRae, the Washington County Health Department's administrator. MacRae said a park employee found the dead crow Aug. 6. A Washington County environmental health sanitarian collected the bird and sent it to a state lab in Baltimore for testing, he said.

Franklin County gets grant to study West Nile Virus Chambersburg, Pa. By STACEY DANZUSO chbbureau@innernet.net Franklin County will spend more than $90,000 in state grants this mosquito season to target the pests and check for West Nile Virus. The Franklin County Conservation District will use the funds to begin mosquito surveillance in April. Checking for the potentially deadly West Nile Virus will continue through October, according to Ernest Tarner, manager of the agency.

Bird search tracks West Nile virus By KIMBERLY YAKOWSKI kimy@herald-mail.com The Washington County Health Department is asking people to be on the lookout for dead birds so that the bird carcasses can be tested for West Nile virus. The mosquito-borne disease has been documented in Frederick County, Md., and it's only a matter of time before the virus it heads west, said Roderick MacRae, county health department spokesman. "At some point we expect to have West Nile present in Washington County," said MacRae.

West Nile virus not likely to hit county By DON WORTHINGTON / Staff Writer see also: To report dead birds Although Washington County has a large population of migratory crows, it is not a high-risk area for an outbreak of the potentially fatal West Nile virus, area public health officials say. Dead crows are used to track the spread of the virus because they are highly susceptible to the virus, said Joey Scaletto, West...

A software virus that tempted computer users with an e-mail note proclaiming "ILOVEYOU" crippled government and corporate computer networks around the world Thursday, and left Allegheny Energy and city of Hagerstown employees without Internet access for most of the day. cont. from front page The affected employees were not expected to have Internet access before this morning at the earliest, Allegheny Energy and city employees said. Allegheny Energy said customer service was unaffected.

By MARLO BARNHART / Staff Writer Eight days ago, Les and Lori Martin's suburban family existence was turned upside down by a tiny virus that attacked and paralyzed their child. On Feb. 4, the Martin's 12-year-old son, Christopher, was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a condition in which the spinal cord becomes inflamed, causing paralysis and sometimes worse. "We did lose him briefly at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore when he was critical," said Lori Martin Thursday from her Washington County home.

By LAURA ERNDE Staff Writer Laurie Potteiger knows that she is at risk for tick-borne illnesses, but the danger really hit home recently when she saw a fellow hiker with the signature bull's-eye rash of Lyme disease on his leg. A color snapshot of the rash hangs as a warning on the bulletin board of the Appalachian Trail Conference office in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., where Potteiger works. "There's a tendency to have that attitude, 'It's not going to happen to me,'" said Potteiger, 37, of Bolivar, W.Va.