Abstract
As part of West Nile (WN) virus surveillance in New York State in 2000, 71,332 ill or dead birds were reported; 17,571 (24.6%) of these were American Crows. Of 3,976 dead birds tested, 1,263 (31.8%) were positive for WN virus. Viral activity was first confirmed in 60 of the state's 62 counties with WN virus-positive dead birds. Pathologic findings compatible with WN virus were seen in 1,576 birds (39.6% of those tested), of which 832 (52.8%) were positive for WN virus. Dead crow reports preceded confirmation of viral activity by several months, and WN virus-positive birds were found >3 months before the onset of human cases. Dead bird surveillance appears to be valuable for early detection of WN virus and for guiding public education and mosquito control efforts.
Highlights
In the late summer and fall of 1999, New York State (NYS) had the first outbreak of West Nile (WN) virus encephalitis in the Western Hemisphere (1)
WN virus infection was confirmed in dead birds shortly before it was confirmed in humans, no WN viruspositive dead birds were identified from time periods before the onset of symptoms in the first human cases, despite subsequent WN virus testing of birds collected earlier (4)
We evaluate the usefulness of dead bird surveillance in 2000 for detecting geographic spread of WN virus and providing an early warning of the risk for transmission to humans
Summary
In the late summer and fall of 1999, New York State (NYS) had the first outbreak of West Nile (WN) virus encephalitis in the Western Hemisphere (1). By the end of 1999, 62 human cases, 7 fatal, had occurred in New York City (NYC) and two neighboring counties, Nassau and Westchester (3). Whether dead bird surveillance could provide an early warning for human WN virus cases could not be definitively established by analyses of 1999 data on dead bird surveillance. Sightings of dead crows preceded laboratory confirmation of viral activity in any species, and testing of dead birds provided valuable information about the temporal and geographic spread of the virus (4). We evaluate the usefulness of dead bird surveillance in 2000 for detecting geographic spread of WN virus and providing an early warning of the risk for transmission to humans. We discuss lessons learned for other states that may be instituting a similar system
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