Dead bird in Sonora tests positive for West Nile virus following human case

From the Union Democrat
September 26, 2018

Testing has confirmed that a dead California scrub jay found on Sept. 4 in Sonora was infected with West Nile virus, according to the Tuolumne County Public Health Department.

This comes nearly two months after a human in the county tested positive for the sometimes deadly mosquito-borne illness for the first time in more than 10 years, prompting health officials to urge people to take precautions.

“The detection of WNV in a dead bird provides an early signal that mosquitoes carrying WNV are present in our environment, and an early warning that it is important to take protection against mosquito bites,” the county Public Health Department stated in a news release this week.

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