WEST NILE WORRIES CITY OFFICIALS ALLOW OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES TO GO ON DESPITE POSITIVE TESTS.(LOCAL) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

Byline: JANIE BRYANT AND LINDA MCNATT THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT\

PORTSMOUTH -- City officials will allow outdoor events at recreational facilities to go on this weekend, despite the discovery of the West Nile virus in mosquitoes in the Churchland area.

School officials canceled outdoor athletic events on Thursday, after learning that a mosquito pool near Churchland High School had tested positive for the virus.

The mosquitoes were collected on Oct.8. A staffing shortage at the Norfolk Health Department lab may have held up the results, according to Dr. Demetria Lindsay, director of the Portsmouth Health Department.

``As of today, there's been 180 pools that have tested positive in the state,'' City Manager C.W. ``Luke'' McCoy said Friday. ``This is the only one that has tested positive in Portsmouth.''

School Superintendent Sidney J. ``Skipper'' Duck said school officials will talk to health officials early next week and make a decision about lifting the school system's ban.

``The reaction that I got from parents is that they were very appreciative that the school system has been proactive,'' Duck said.

David Joyner, vice chairman of the School Board, said school officials wanted to be cautious to protect students.

``There's a lot that we weren't sure of. We are not experts on this. We had to depend on people to tell us what the parameters are,'' Joyner said. ``We wanted to err, if we err, on the safe side.''

The city planned to spray areas over the next two nights.

Although this has been a busy year for West Nile in the state and the area, the

threat of contracting the virus has diminished with the colder weather, health officials said.

Mosquitoes don't typically fly when temperatures are below 55 degrees, according to Dr. David Gaines, the entomologist for the state Department of Health.

Many species are night fliers, and temperatures in Hampton Roads this time of year are mostly below that threshold after dark. The virus multiplies very slowly when temperatures are low.

And children aren't as susceptible to the virus as people over 50, said Gaines.

``So really I don't think that the measure of alarm is warranted,'' Gaines said.

But some people who have been battling the mosquitoes didn't mind the school system's caution.

Cheering for football games this fall has been an ordeal, said Laura Boone, a Churchland High School student. The cheerleaders had to apply mosquito repellent every quarter during the game.

``We've been getting eaten up and didn't know there was West Nile out there,'' said Boone, a 17-year-old senior. ``If you walked outside for just a few minutes, they'd be all over you.''

It's obvious to many students that Churchland High School was built on a swamp, said senior Jonah Lampkin, 17. And when the weather is hot, the mosquitoes swarm.

Lampkin said he thinks the school system did the right thing.

``It's a necessary precaution,'' he said. ``A lot of people have really gotten nervous about it. We haven't seen so many mosquitoes lately because it's been cooler, but it looks like it's going to get warm again. They'll be back.''

Churchland has had a mosquito problem for years. The nearby Craney Island, a huge peninsula of dredge spoils, is a natural breeding ground.

A task force is studying how to combat the problem. The task force includes citizens, city and health officials and representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Navy.

``We know the virus is going to continue to become more established,'' Gaines said. ``We're doing our best to educate the public. I don't know what the weather will bring. If it's hot and dry next summer, we'll see a repeat of this year. If it's a rainy year, it will probably be worse.''

Reach Janie Bryant at 446-2453 or jbryant@pilotonline.com

Reach Linda McNatt at 222-5561 or lmcnatt@pilotonline.com

CAPTION(S):

Anthony Smith passes some standing water Friday afternoon during his daily four-mile jog on Portsmouth's Cedar Lane. He plans to wear long sleeves to keep the mosquitoes from biting.

MIKE HEFFNER PHOTOS

No one came to soccer practice Friday - except Scott Wells, who

brought his two sons to Churchland Park but was soon bitten on the hand by a mosquito. He took Logan, 4, left, and Jake, 2, back home.

PHOTOS

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

A Mississippi Department of Health worker holds one of the Culex mosquito species that has been identified as the primary carrier of the West Nile virus in the South.

``There's a lot that we weren't sure of. ... We wanted to err, if we err, on the safe side.''

David Joyner, vice chairman of the Portsmouth School Board

VP GRAPHIC

CHART

WEST NILE VIRUS

(cases reported in Virginia)

(cases reported in Hampton Roads)

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