Suffolk unveils West Nile hotline

Suffolk County has activated a West Nile virus hotline so residents can help prevent and detect the potentially deadly virus, county health officials said Friday.

The county is encouraging residents to report sightings of dead birds, which may have been infected with the virus, to the Department of Health Services' Public Health Hotline, 631-787-2200, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the department said in a news release.

West Nile virus spreads from birds to humans by mosquitoes that feed on infected birds and then humans. Crows, blue jays and hawks are among the most common species that can be infected.

Birds that might be infected will be picked up weekdays between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and tested for the virus.

If a reported bird is discovered on a weekend or if the county determines it isn't needed for testing, callers are asked to collect the remains in a double bag, using a shovel and gloves, and put it in the trash.

Last year, Suffolk County reported three deaths and 20 cases of the virus in humans.

Nassau County had three deaths and 57 cases, health department spokeswoman Mary Ellen Laurain said. Nassau residents can report stagnant pools of water, where mosquitoes can lay eggs, by calling 516-571-6900, Laurain said.

Dr. James Tomarken, commissioner of health services in Suffolk, said the virus can be debilitating to humans.

"Although most people experience no symptoms . . . some people will develop severe symptoms including high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis," he said in the release.

The symptoms can last several weeks and neurological effects can be permanent, he said.

The release also offered several suggestions to residents for reducing the mosquito populations around homes, including eliminating stagnant water.