Stanislaus County has been hit hard by West Nile Virus within the past two weeks. Health officials say there have been five human infections during that period. And since the middle of July there have been five horses infected in the county, resulting in one death. 

As soon as Lloyd Douglass, the manager of the East Side Modesto Mosquito Abatement District received a check for 48-thousand dollars from the state, he was on the telephone to place an order for spraying equipment.

"The new equipment actually has radar on it so that if the truck slows down, so does the material. It doesn't overdose an area or undoes and area either."

The equipment is expected to arrive in two weeks and will be put into service immediately.  Some of the money will be used for overtime for a staff of fifteen. Douglass says the arrival of West Nile Virus is taxing the agency's one million dollar a year budget.

Another abatement district in Stanislaus County is based in Turlock. That agency received 92-thousand dollars, which will be used for chemicals and overtime pay.