West Nile virus surveillance program continues

Report dead or dying birds

[October 06, 2010]  Even though it's autumn, mosquitoes can remain active when temperatures are above 60 degrees F, and activity will usually persist until the first hard frost. Therefore, when it comes to the threat of West Nile virus, we are not out of the woods. The Logan County Department of Public Health reminds everyone to take precautions to eliminate breeding areas around your home and to avoid mosquito bites.

Precautions to prevent mosquitoes include:

• Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn. Use prevention methods whenever mosquitoes are present.

• When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus according to label instructions. Contact a physician before using repellents on infants.

• Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that might have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut, especially at night.

• Eliminate all sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding, including water in birdbaths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires and other receptacles. Contact your local municipal government or the Logan County Department of Public Health to report areas of stagnant water in roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes.

The health department is still monitoring for mosquito activity and will continue to do so until Oct. 15. Monitoring includes the collection and submittal of dead birds to the state laboratory for West Nile virus testing.

The Logan County Department of Public Health would appreciate your help. If you observe a dead or dying bird, please contact the department to see if the bird is eligible for testing. Eligible birds must meet various conditions and can include crows, blue jays, robins and other perching birds that appear to have died of natural causes within the previous 24 hours.

For further information, contact the Logan County Department of Public Health at 217-735-2317.

[Text from file received from the Logan County Department of Public Health]