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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, August 5, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 29, 2004 Keeping tabs on birds reduces West Nile risk By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune If you see a dead crow, raven, jay or magpie, Eugene Papineau would like to hear from you. Papineau is the manager of the Jackson County Vector Control District, which is keeping a watchful eye on birds from the corvid family. The birds can carry the West Nile virus, spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. The dead bird surveillance program is part of the district’s early-warning system for the mosquito-borne disease. Local residents are asked to report any dead birds found on their property but not to handle the birds. In the program, the district, working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and its federal counterpart, tests dead birds of the corvid family for signs of the disease. The corvid birds are more susceptible to the disease than other birds. For the test to be effective, the birds need to have been dead less than 48 hours, officials said. Advertisement The district also maintains five sentinel chicken flocks in the county as part of its surveillance program for the disease. The chickens’ blood is periodically tested for the virus. In addition, the district tests mosquito pools for signs of the disease. Besides birds and horses, the virus can infect people and other animals, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The virus is not transmitted from person to person or from animals to people. Although the virus causes no more than a flu-like sickness in most people, it can kill elderly people or those with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC. The virus was first found in the United States in 1999, when a few East Coast residents were infected. Although it is estimated that less than 1 percent of mosquitoes carry the disease, it has spread rapidly to the West Coast. Oregon is now the lone state in the contiguous 48 that has yet to find evidence of the virus within its borders. The Oregon Department of Human Services has established a toll-free telephone information line for the West Nile virus at 866-703-4636 or 866-703-INFO. The recorded messages in English and Spanish include disease facts, symptoms and ways to reduce the risk of infection. Additional information can be obtained through the department’s Web site at www.healthoregon.org . The Jackson County Vector Control Web site is www.jacksoncountyvectorcontrol.org . Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times