SAN JOSE (BCN)

In an effort to curb West Nile Virus carrying mosquitoes Santa Clara County Vector Control plans to fog areas of San Jose's Cambrian neighborhood and Los Gatos as planned tonight, weather permitting.

At a Monday night meeting concerned residents were invited to ask questions about the fogging process, West Nile Virus or mosquitoes.

"It went very well,'' Vector Control District Manager Tim Mulligan said today. "In the past [the meeting] was a more 'behind the podium' format. This time we used a much more informal format.''

The pest management group had seven stations, each addressing different aspects of the fogging and virus that has now been detected in 13 birds and at least one mosquito group in the county.

The new format allowed for people to drop in and mingle to get answers rather than sit through a lecture first.

The process involves four trucks, which produce micron-sized droplets of pyrenone 25-5 pesticide that spread about 150 feet in each direction. If the wind is less than 1 mph or more than 10 mph the effort will be aborted, Mulligan said.

Some of the main concerns brought up by people at Monday's meeting were about pet safety and vegetable gardens. Mulligan suggests keeping pet food indoors and simply washing garden vegetables. Pets can remain outside but Mulligan suggests people make up their own mind on that issue.

The county has offered tips to reduce the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes, including wearing long pants and long sleeves when outside, making sure screens are in good shape and getting mosquito eating fish for outdoor water like ponds and fountains. Residents are also urged to report green pools and spas.

West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne malady first detected in the United States in 1999. It can cause encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, especially in the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

However, many people infected with the virus experience little more than a fever and head and body aches, and 80 percent show no symptoms at all.

Maps of the area to be fogged are available online at http://www.sccvector.org or for other information residents can call the WNV hotline at (800) 314-2427.

In California 25 human cases have been confirmed with one fatality. Scientists have also found 230 infected birds, two infected horses and three infected tree squirrels.