The truck bay of the loading dock at the former A&P store at Grove and Mission 66 held at least 3 feet of water until Tuesday.(Meredith Spencer The Vicksburg Post)

[5/26/04]Jean Abraham said she knows how big a problem standing water can pose.

So, following more than 9 inches of rain in eight days, she paid close attention to the truck bay at the loading dock of the old A&P store she owns at Grove Street and Mission 66.

The bay, which slopes down about 4 feet, was holding up to 3 feet of water, providing an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes, possibly including some that could transmit West Nile virus.

“With all the rain, the water was building up and it was only seeping out,” Abraham said, explaining why she took action.

Wayne Scott, assistant city inspector, examined the loading dock. He said the drain at its base, which empties into a storm drain, was clogged and not emptying fast enough.

He said this was his first time to find standing water on property and that it usually is in old tires.

“It is a big problem for this time of year, because we’re dealing with West Nile virus,” Scott said.

Last year, 83 human cases were reported in Mississippi, including one in Warren County.

Public health and other officials have asked all property owners to be vigilant and eliminate pools of tepid water where the insects can lay hundreds of thousands of eggs.

Dr. Robert Hotchkiss, district medical director, said mosquito eggs can hatch in a bottle cap.

However, he said, unless the water is near occupied property, it is not a large threat. The Southern House mosquito, the lone breed found to transmit West Nile, doesn’t have a wide range.

“It is a weak flier,” Hotchkiss said. The Southern House mosquito can travel up to 1,100 meters.

Larvae take a week to mature into flying adults. Hotchkiss recommended buckets, fountains and other water be emptied every three days, but said he does not have the power to make owners remove standing water.

“We have no direct authority,” he said. “It is up to the local jurisdiction.”

Vicksburg has started its intensive spraying program and Warren County, which had no mosquito program before West Nile, has authorized funds for spraying again this year.

Victor Grey-Lewis, the city inspector, said he examined the Abraham building a year and a half ago and it was sound structurally and was not considered an eyesore. He only required the brush and plants to be trimmed.

“What we have is a health issue versus an aesthetic issue,” he said.

The only problem was the water in the back, which was solved.

The loading dock’s drain was covered with a layer of muck and debris to the point it was impossible to see the drain.

Abraham said she had her son, who owns a construction company, pump out the drain on Tuesday morning.

“I don’t want this to be a health hazard or get anybody hurt,” Abraham said.

West Nile virus dates to 1937 when it was discovered in the West Nile District of Uganda. In addition to humans, it infects horses and other animals, especially birds.

It was first reported in the United States in 1999, when a person was reported to have died with a type of encephalitis that follows some infections.

In just three years, West Nile spread throughout most of the United States.