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For immediate release: September 16, 2005 (05-117)
Contacts:
Donn Moyer, Communications Office
360-236-4076
Tim Church, Communications Office
360-236-4077
Dead bird from Yakima County tests positive for West Nile virus
OLYMPIA ¾ A dead bird from Yakima County has tested positive for West Nile virus. According to the Washington State Department of Health, the magpie was collected in early September and sent to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Washington State University for testing. It’s the first West Nile virus-positive dead bird in our state since 2002. There have been no human cases of West Nile illness acquired in Washington.
"This disease typically shows up in mosquitoes or dead birds before it’s detected in horses or people, though there are some exceptions," said Maryanne Guichard, director of Environmental Health and Safety. "We understand the concern many people have about West Nile virus, and that’s why we are putting a lot of effort into monitoring and tracking the disease in our state."
The Benton County Mosquito Control District has identified two mosquito-samples that were positive for West Nile virus in the past week, both in Yakima County. The magpie was collected and submitted by the Yakima Health District 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 surveillance work. The program has submitted at least 514 dead birds for testing this year; this is the only positive, so far. Blood samples from 33 potential horse cases have also been tested, and all results have been negative. There have been some horse illnesses identified in our state this year among horses imported from California.
West Nile virus has spread across the country since it was first detected in 1999. Though it was not found in our state last year, infection was confirmed in four dead birds and two horses here in 2002. Guichard 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.
Simple measures can reduce the risk of exposure to mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus:
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."
More information on West Nile virus (http://www.doh.wa.gov/WNV) is available on the Department of Health Web site and online from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/). Gordon Kelly of the Yakima Health District is available at 509-249-6507 to answer questions about local West Nile virus monitoring and other local environmental health issues.
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