I'm getting the creepy crawlies just reading this!

Levittown woman infested with bird mites quarantined

A Levittown woman infested with highly contagious bird mites -- parasitic insects spread by wild birds -- was in quarantine Friday after she was evacuated from her home swathed in a hazardous material suit, police said.

Nina Brandica, 45, was put into the suit to prevent the tiny, ravenous insects on her skin and hair from infecting the police officers, firefighters and health officials who loaded her into an ambulance Thursday night and took her to a hospital quarantine unit.

Nassau police officers responded to an 8:48 p.m. call to 100 Saddle Lane, to aid Brandica, a tenant there.

When they realized the nature of the problem, the officers called in the Nassau police Emergency Services Bureau/Haz Mat Unit, as well as the Wantagh/Levittown Fire Department.

They learned that the mites had spread from a nest in a bathroom vent at the house.

The birds weren't pets, but pests, said Officer Adele Burke, a Nassau police spokeswoman.

"They were wild birds," Burke said. She said the woman had previously been diagnosed with bird mites.

Brandica was admitted to the Nassau University Medical Center quarantine unit for observation and treatment.

Birdmites.org, a Web site about the problem of human infestation, describes the insects: "They are aggressive and they often bite humans when their original food source has gone. . . . They can quickly multiply into thousands, leaving the afflicted person with the feeling of being overwhelmed."


www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-limite0607,0,36826.story

saw it on News 12 last nite
nasty

My mom always said not to touch wild birds.  I'm glad I followed her advice.  Ewwww

Bird Mites... worse than chiggerschigroes

Rev. Al Sharpton changed that word years ago

Quoted:  Bird Mites... worse than chiggerschigroes Rev. Al Sharpton changed that word years ago

Ahem....Chigrican-Americans



Racist!