Area West Nile virus programs are tailored by Health Districts to suit local needs and resources. Not all localities are collecting information on dead birds or testing them. Individual programs may include testing mosquitoes or dead birds for the virus, collecting phone reports of dead birds, collecting information about other animals that can be infected, such as chickens or horses, and providing community education and outreach.
During previous years, the finding of positive birds in some areas early in the season was associated with having human cases later in the season, but birds that tested positive late in the season did not indicate where human cases might occur. For this reason, testing of dead birds after mid July is not encouraged.
Contact your local health department for information on the program in your area and for guidelines on reporting or collecting dead birds where you live. (For a list of local health departments click onto http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/lhd/). Only selected crows, blue jays and raptors (i.e. hawks, falcons or owls) will be tested for mosquito-borne viruses, because they are the best early signs of virus activity in an area.