For immediate release: October 13, 2006 (06-163)

Contacts:
Jeff Smith, Communications Office 360-236-4072
Deanna Mill, Communications Office 360-236-4022

OLYMPIA ¾ Tests confirmed the presence of West Nile virus in seven dead birds recently collected throughout Washington.

The birds were collected in Snohomish, King, Yakima, and Cowlitz counties. According to the Washington State Department of Health, two of the birds in King County were from Seattle and one was from Kent. The Snohomish bird was found near Everett. In Cowlitz County, the bird was found near Kelso. The two birds in Yakima County were from Union Gap and Yakima.

The tests were done at the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL) based at Washington State University.

This brings the total number of infected birds to nine this season. There have also been three confirmed human cases that were acquired in-state, the first such cases in Washington.

"Testing for West Nile virus in mosquitoes, horses and dead birds helps show where the virus is active," said Dorothy Tibbetts, manager of the agency’s zoonotic disease program. "These tests show West Nile is now part of our landscape. We’re in the tail-end of the West Nile virus season, but we will likely see more cases in the environment next year."

West Nile virus is primarily a bird disease. Crows, ravens, jays and magpies are especially susceptible. Mosquitoes become infected by feeding on an infected bird and can pass the virus to humans, horses or other hosts.

"Most people infected with West Nile virus don’t have any symptoms but in a few cases, the virus can cause serious illness including inflammation of the brain or spinal cord; people over age 50 have the highest risk for serious illness," said Dr. Jo Hofmann, state epidemiologist for communicable disease. "There’s no specific treatment for West Nile virus infection."

The birds were collected in early October as part of the state Department of Health monitoring program. Many local and state agencies as well as private volunteer groups are participating in the monitoring.

West Nile virus has spread across the country since it was first detected in 1999. Tibbetts says mosquitoes typically are active in Washington into the fall, and she urges people to continue reporting dead birds to local health agencies for possible collection.

"We put a lot of effort into monitoring and tracking the disease here because we know people are concerned," Tibbetts said. "The best protection against West Nile infection is to avoid mosquito bites."

Simple measures can reduce the risk of exposure to mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus:

More information on West Nile virus (www.doh.wa.gov/WNV) is available on the Department of Health Web site and online from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/).

###

DOH Home | Access Washington | Privacy Notice | Disclaimer/Copyright Information

Contact Information for the Department of Health Last Update : 03/05/2009 08:41 PM Send inquires about DOH and its programs to the Health Consumer Assistance Office Comments or questions regarding this web site? Send mail to the Webmaster .