Aug 5, 2008 2:38 pm US/Eastern
Charlestown Blue Jay Tests Positive For West Nile
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
A dead blue jay found in Charlestown has tested positive for West Nile Virus, the Boston Public Health Commission said Tuesday.
The blue jay is the second bird to test positive for the mosquito-borne illness in Boston. In July, a red-tailed hawk with West Nile Virus was found in Jamaica Plain. A bird in Framingham also tested positive for the virus last month.
Health officials urge residents to report any dead birds as well as take precautions to help prevent contracting the virus themselves.
People should use insect repellant when outdoors, especially from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are more likely to be biting. Officials also suggest wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants.
Mosquito pools have tested positive for West Nile this summer in Brookline, Worcester, Millbury and most recently in West Roxbury.
Last year there were six human cases of West Nile Virus in Massachusetts. There were no human cases of EEE, though infected mosquitoes were found.
No mosquito pools in New Hampshire have tested positive for West Nile Virus or EEE this year. Last year in the Granite State three people were diagnosed with EEE; no human cases of West Nile Virus were reported.
Click here to request spraying from your local mosquito control board.
Find pesticides in your town.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
