Florida on guard for West Nile outbreak after Charley

Floridians are being urged to drain standing pools of water to cut the risk of an outbreak of West Nile or other mosquito-borne disease in the wake of Hurricane Charley, an official with the state health department said on Thursday.

The storm, the worst to hit Florida in 12 years, killed 22 people, destroyed thousands of buildings and brought heavy rains to much of the state, creating an ideal breeding ground for the mosquitoes that spread West Nile and other viruses.

"With flooding being a major concern, there are areas of standing water particularly in kiddie pools, gutters and bird baths," said Lindsay Hodges, a spokeswoman for Florida's department of health, which is monitoring West Nile cases.

"If you eliminate them, you're eliminating the chance for mosquito pools to develop," Hodges said.

Fears of a surge in the mosquitoes that carry West Nile and other less common diseases such as St. Louis encephalitis are compounded by the increased vulnerability of many Floridians to the pests since Charley ravaged the state last Friday.

Countless homes, especially in the hard-hit southwestern part of the state, were left without air-conditioning and the window and porch screens to keep the insects at bay.

As of Aug. 17, a total of 12 West Nile cases, including one death, had been reported in Florida this year, according to a report published on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 94 cases in 2003.

West Nile, which first surfaced in the United States in 1999, typically peaks in August and September.

Most people who are infected suffer nothing more than headaches and flu-like symptoms, but the elderly, chronically ill and those with weak immune systems can develop fatal encephalitis and meningitis.