For Immediate Release
May 15,2003

Contact
Wayne Kramer, Ph.D., Medical Entomologist, (402) 471-0506
Maria Augustine, Communications and Legislative Services, (402) 471-4047

West Nile Virus Surveillance Begins
Dead Birds Accepted for Testing

Lincoln - The Nebraska Health and Human Services System (HHSS) is now accepting dead birds for testing as part of its surveillance program for West Nile virus.

Monitoring for West Nile virus (WNV) using dead birds has proven to be an accurate means of predicting where the virus will show up in humans, according to Wayne Kramer, state medical entomologist with HHSS. During the outbreak last summer, in over 80 percent of the counties where WNV was found in humans, HHSS surveillance detected it first in the bird population.

"Early detection is important because it can alert communities to conduct mosquito control efforts and heighten people's awareness of the presence of the disease," Dr. Kramer said.

West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. In turn, the mosquito can pass the virus to humans. Last year, 174 cases of WNV were reported in Nebraska, with eight deaths. Ultimately, the virus was found in all 93 of the state's counties, in either mosquito, bird, horse or human populations.

HHSS will take reports of dead birds of any species, but the focus of the surveillance is on blue jays, crows, magpies, owls and hawks.  HHSS and the state's local health departments will collect the birds, and a selection in good condition and of the right species will be tested. All testing will be done at the Veterinary Diagnostic Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

People who find dead birds should call their local health department to report them. (A listing of the contact information for each county is available at http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/wnv/contacts.htm.)

Although people have an extremely low risk of contracting WNV through the touching of dead birds, precautions should be taken when handling them. Bare hand contact with carcasses should be avoided and birds should be double-bagged using plastic bags and then frozen until they can be picked up.

The UNL Veterinary Diagnostic Center has already tested seven birds this year, and all were negative for WNV. These seven birds came from six different counties—Fillmore, Lancaster, Madison, Platte, Seward, and Thomas.

While there are some mosquitoes showing activity right now, these are not the type that carry West Nile virus, Kramer said. Those will appear later this summer, usually in August and September. It is wise to take precautions, however, to reduce the risk by using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants when outdoors, and staying inside during peak mosquito hours at dusk and dawn. Prevent mosquito breeding by eliminating standing water in gutters, bird baths, and tires.

For more information on West Nile virus and the Nebraska's surveillance program please visit the NDHHS web site: http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/wnv/index.htm. For questions involving dead bird reporting please call 1-877-220-1237 or your local health department.

Following is a list of local health departments and phone numbers for information about dead bird collection:

Butler County Health Department
Phone: (402)367-3115

Central District Health Department
Phone: (308) 385-5175, x-35 or 36

Clay County Health Department
Phone: (402)762-3571

Dakota County Health Department
Phone: (402)987-2164

Douglas County Health Department
Phone: (402)444-7489

East Central District Health Department
Phone: (402) 563-9224, x 214

Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department
Phone: (402)529-2233

Four Corners Health Department
Phone: 402-362-2621

Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department
Phone: (402)441-8000

Loup Basin Public Health Department
Phone: (308)346-5795

North Central District Health Department
Phone: (402) 336-2406 or toll free at (877) 336-2406

Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department
Phone: (402)375-2200

Panhandle Public Health Department
Phone: 308-262-1600

Polk County Health Department
Phone: (402)747-2211

Public Health Solutions
Phone: (402)826-3880

Red Willow County Health Department
Phone: (308)345-1790

Sandhills District Health Department
Phone: (308)284-6054

Sarpy/Cass Department of Health & Wellness
Phone: 402-593-2172

Scons Bluff County Health Department
Phone: (308)436-6636

South Heartland District Health Department
Phone: (402)462-6211

Southeast District Health Department
Phone: (402)274-3993

Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department
Phone: 308-334-5949

Three Rivers Public Health Department
Phone: (402)727-5396

Two Rivers Public Health Department
Phone: (308) 995-4778 or toll free at (888)669-7154

West Central District Health Department
Phone: (308)696-1201

York County Health Department
Phone: (402)362-1444