West Nile Virus detected in dead bird in Allegan County
ALLEGAN — West Nile Virus has been detected in a wild bird in Allegan County, the health department announced Friday, Sept. 30.
The Allegan County Health Department was notified by MDHHS that a wild crow tested positive for the mosquito-borne disease. The crow was found dead in a yard in Otsego.
West Nile Virus is an infection with mild to severe symptoms, which can include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting and a rash on the chest, stomach or back.
There have been no reported or confirmed cases of West Nile Virus in humans in Allegan County. Still, residents are advised to take measures to prevent mosquito bites, which can spread West Nile and other diseases.
Those measures include applying insect repellents with DEET as an active ingredient to any exposed skin, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors, maintaining window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside, emptying standing water that can serve as breeding sites for mosquitoes and using nets and/or fans over outdoor areas.
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Mosquitos remain active until the first hard frost of the year.
Anyone suspected of having West Nile should contact their primary care physician. For more information on the disease, visit cdc.gov/westnile.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelMitch.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: West Nile Virus detected in Allegan County bird
