Public health agencies monitoring for West Nile Virus in wild bird population

By Editor | June 14, 2022 |

By DAVID CAMPHOUSE

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is seeking the public’s assistance in obtaining dead birds to test for the presence of West Nile Virus (WNV).

Pike County residents may submit dead birds to the Pike County Health Department (PCHD) if they are found. Residents may submit various species of “perching birds” (Passeriformes) in addition to crows, blue jays, robins, cardinals, catbirds, mockingbirds, many species of sparrows, finches, flycatchers, swallows, warblers, wrens, and small or medium size hawks or owls. In turn, PCHD will submit the dead birds to the state for testing for WNV presence.

According to PCHD staff, the birds need to be relatively recently deceased and securely contained in order to be submitted for testing.

“They have to be freshly dead,” PCHD Environmental Health Specialist Lynette Johns said, “Preferably we like them double bagged, or they could be in a zip-lock bag and placed in a box,” Johns said.

IDPH is asking the community to be aware of any birds that:

• Have been dead for less than 48 hours.

• Died singly (birds dying from WNV are usually found singly, scattered over a wide area versus birds that die from other causes-storm mortality, food poisoning, toxicants – usually die in groups or clusters in a small area).

• NOT decomposed (strong odor present, dried/deflated eyes, maggots present or bloated with decomposition gasses or damaged by scavenging animals.

• No obvious cause of death, i.e., crushed, shot or killed by a motor vehicle.

Dead birds that do not meet the requirements should be properly disposed of by an adult by burying or double wrapping in plastic bags and disposing properly without touching the carcass. Wash hands upon completion.

If residents do not wish to collect and transport the dead bird(s) to PCHD, they may contact PCHD to retrieve dead birds.

“We can come get them if people don’t want to mess with them,” Johns said.

Vector Control/Arbovirus Surveillance from IDPH indicates that WNV originally arrived in Illinois at the end of the summer of 2001. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that counties with a WNV- positive bird before August 1 were twice as likely to have a human case than those who recorded a WNV-positive bird after August 1. Therefore, the dead birds will be accepted for testing beginning May 23, until October 15.

It is the department’s goal is to detect any early-season WNV activity promoted by weather conditions this spring. As the summer becomes drier, we will see an increase of the Culex pipiens (the common house mosquito) population which is the disease transmitter of the West Nile Virus.

According to the CDC, WNV is the leading mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States. It is most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. Cases of WNV occur during mosquito season, which starts in the summer and continues through fall.

There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat WNV in people. About 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms, and about 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.

Individuals can reduce their risk of contracting WNV by using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants to prevent mosquito bites.

Reducing the population of mosquitos is also an effective way of preventing the spread of WNV.

Local measures to decrease the mosquito population include eliminating all ponding or pooling of stagnant water (including containers of stagnant water and water high in organic matter such as sewage effluent) i.e., roof guttering, and changing any collectors of water (such as birdbaths, pets’ water bowls, yard toys, potted plant containers/saucers or kiddy pools) at least weekly. The growth stage of the mosquito is 10 days from an egg to an adult.

For more information, contact PCHD at 217-285-4407.