West Nile Virus: Surveillance Plans
West Nile Virus
Surveillance Plan | Wild Bird
Surveillance Plan
West Nile Virus Surveillance Plan
In 2001, West Nile virus (WNV) was identified in wild
birds in five southern Wisconsin counties. In
cooperation with multiple partners, the Wisconsin Division of Public
Health is conducting surveillance for WNV to detect the
presence of this virus throughout the state and assess the human risk of
infection. Enhanced arbovirus surveillance, including surveillance
for WNV, will include four components this year:
-
Reporting
of patients that test positive for a mosquito borne virus.
-
Reporting
wild sick/dead crows, blue jays and ravens, and testing selected
birds for WNV from May through mid-November (see Wild
Bird Surveillance Plan)
-
Reporting
cases of encephalitis in horses to the Department of Agriculture,
Trade and Consumer Protection and testing suspect horses for one or
more arboviruses including WNV; and
-
Trapping,
identifying, and testing mosquitoes for arboviruses in certain areas
of Wisconsin.
Map
of Wisconsin Counties showing WNV Activity
Wild
Bird Surveillance Plan for West Nile Virus
Some wild bird species, especially crows and blue
jays, are very susceptible to WNV and become ill and die when infected
with the virus. WNV infected birds have been found dead most often
individually and not in mass die-offs. Some governmental agencies
may collect and test wild birds for WNV during the mosquito season to
detect the presence of the virus in the environment.
Wild bird surveillance in Wisconsin consists of
citizens reporting sick or dead crows, blue jays, or ravens to their
local health departments, or animal control officers. Birds that are suitable for testing
are submitted to the USDA Wildlife Services Laboratory to be tested for WNV.
If you should find a sick or dead crow, blue jay, or
raven, please call the WNV Hotline at 1-800-433-1610 to report it, or
contact your local health department to report it.
There is no evidence to indicate people can get infected with WNV from
handling infected birds, but sanitary precautions in handling any dead
animal is warranted. This includes using gloves or an inverted plastic
bag to collect and contain a carcass that may be collected for testing
or using a shovel or other tool to pick up a bird for disposal.
The following link from the Illinois
Department of Public Health contains photos and descriptive
information on crows and blue jays. Although ravens are included
in Wisconsin's WNV surveillance, photos are not available at this link.
The common raven is a species found in northern Wisconsin. It is a
black bird that looks very similar to a crow but is slightly larger.
This site also includes photos and information on species easily
mistaken for crows (starlings and blackbirds) but NOT included in WNV
surveillance.
WNV Home | Overview | Reducing
Your Risk | Surveillance
Map
County
Surveillance Count | County Bird
Surveillance Count
Surveillance
Plans | Resources | News
Releases
Last Revised: April 02, 2008
|
