West Nile virus has been detected in the blood of a sentinel chicken at Kemper Williams Park near Patterson.

Increased spraying in the Tri-City area will be increased to combat the threat.

The infected chicken is among 16 sentinel flocks placed strategically throughout St. Mary Parish under the parishwide monitoring program.

Patterson officials agreed during their monthly council meeting last week to join the parish’s mosquito abatement program.

A parish press release issued this morning stated that spraying will begin immediately from the Wax Lake Outlet east to the Berwick town limits.

The parish council is scheduled to consider adoption of an ordinance Wednesday when it meets in regular session authorizing implementation of a mosquito control program and collection of a $2 fee from water service and garbage collection customers as its funding mechanism.

The program would "include, but not be limited to surveillance, larvicide, adulticide spraying where/when necessary," according the ordinance.

Wednesday’s agenda also includes a resolution authorizing cooperative agreements with service providers such as local water boards for collection of the fees.

Patterson Mayor Jimmy Bernauer said he will attend the parish council meeting Wednesday to request that the city be included in the parish contract with Mosquito Control Contractors Inc. of New Iberia.

He said joining the parish program should be the most affordable approach for the city.

In Berwick, Town Clerk Cathy Guidry said the agenda for tonight’s town council meeting has been amended to include introduction of amendments to the mosquito abatement ordinance which will reinstitute the $2 per water meter per month fee and get an in-house program started in the town.

Morgan City Mayor Dr. Tim Tregle declared an emergency Monday after learning from Stokes of the Kemper Williams Park sentinel chicken finding. He said additional spraying equipment will be working increased hours in the city limits until further notice.

"The city is not being sprayed under the same contract as the parish," Tregle said. "Mr. (Glenn) Stokes (of MCC) said any municipality in the parish that has a separate contract with him to spray needs to act on their own to ensure reimbursement" (from outside government sources).

Patterson and Morgan City also collect from residents a $2 fee per water meter per month to pay for the mosquito abatement program.

The collection mechanism in Morgan City is temporary until voters can make a final determination on the fee’s future status at the polls Oct. 5.

If the situation deteriorates enough, aerial spraying is a possibility, Bernauer said, noting that no suspicious dead birds had yet been reported to Patterson City Hall.

"We’ll take all the necessary precautions," Bernauer said.

Parish President Bill Cefalu said parish leaders will "maintain a heightened alert and use whatever means of prevention and control is necessary" to minimize the spread of West Nile virus here.

At the parish level, spraying will be conducted daily following all state and federal guidelines, weather permitting, when mosquito activity is greatest.

Berwick currently has its own machine to spray for mosquitoes in concentrated areas such as ball fields and schools, but citywide spraying has not been undertaken, the town clerk said.

With the new finding in the sentinel flock, that matter will be discussed tonight, Guidry said.

Berwick currently sprays in selected areas, distributes larvaecide in standing water and will continue working with the parish on surveillance measures.

It is likely that Berwick will follow Morgan City’s lead and declare an emergency in order to attract federal and/or funds for municipalities running their own abatement programs, she said.

Tregle said last week that if one more bird tested positive for West Nile virus infection in St. Mary Parish, that an emergency would be declared in Morgan City.

"I said then and I repeat it now, this is not a panic reaction," Tregle said. "It is a legal procedure we need to take care of."

Spraying in Morgan City will be increased from 10 hours to 15 hours per week, the mayor said, and the emergency declaration puts the city in line for any financial assistance that may be forthcoming.

Gov. Mike Foster declared a state of emergency in Louisiana last week, part of the same effort to qualify for federal funds.

"If that aid is ever available, it is my understanding that an emergency condition must be declared in order to be eligible for reimbursement. I want Morgan City to be in line for all the benefits that may be extended if financial assistance is out there," Tregle said last week.

Spraying is not as easily accomplished as might be believed.

"The problem has been with the weather," Tregle said. "If it’s raining or too windy, it does no good to spray. MCC has had difficulty spraying 10 hours a week under the original agreement, so we’ve asked for an extra truck to help spray the city when conditions permit," he said.

West Nile was first confirmed July 30 via separate sentinel chicken tests in the Baldwin and Glencoe areas of west St. Mary Parish.

Louisiana will get $3.4 million to control the mosquitoes that spread West Nile virus, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

That money is part of $10 million being made available to states to fight the virus, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said.

The money is separate from Foster’s $13.7 million request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Foster said he talked with people at FEMA on Thursday.

Monday, the state said it would match the $3.4 million from the federal government.

On Friday, the state said two more West Nile encephalitis deaths and 14 more cases of the virus were confirmed in Louisiana, bringing the state’s death toll to seven and the total number of cases to 85.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, emphasized that individuals can make the biggest difference in the spread of West Nile infections.

"The most important message is, you can prevent infection with this virus," she said. "Fight the bite."

That means use insect repellent including DEET, wear long, loose, light clothes, and clear any standing water from yards, Gerberding said.

The West Nile virus can cause encephalitis, or swelling of the brain. And that can cause a multitude of problems up to and including death in rare cases.

West Nile fever is far more common and much less serious. Its symptoms are flu-like in nature and usually are overcome without incident.

DHH Secretary David Hood said he wanted to point out that only about 1 percent of mosquitoes are infected, and only one of 150 people bitten by an infected mosquito is likely to have a serious illness.

In the meantime, common-sense precautions are being urged.

They include: Eliminate mosquito breeding grounds in your yard by emptying unoccupied flower pots, buckets, barrels or other containers of standing water. Avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most prevalent. Wear light-colored long pants and long-sleeve shirts if you must be outdoors and don’t be afraid to apply mosquito repellent containing DEET.

The highest exposure for serious illness has proved to be older people or those with weakened immune systems. Health officials have urged people in that category to limit their outdoor exposure as much as reasonably possible until the virus season subsides.