Tracking West Nile virus

The SC Department of Health and Environmental Control seeks the public’s help in collecting dead birds to test for this season’s arrival of West Nile virus. “Anyone can help us track West Nile virus by submitting dead blue jays, crows, house sparrows, and house finches for testing,” said Chris Evans, a Ph.D. entomologist with the DHEC Bureau of Laboratories. Birds that test positive for the virus are reported to local mosquito control agencies so they can take appropriate action to protect public health. Mosquitoes feed on the blood of birds carrying West Nile virus and can subsequently spread the disease to humans.