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Remember the West Nile Virus?
Gary Hamilton, director of the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department, said there is no way to know if the virus will show up in
the area again. "With all the snow that has been on the ground, it is difficult to believe spring is almost here," he said.
Warm weather and still water are the breeding grounds for mosquitoes, the carrier of West Nile.
Last year, Calhoun was among the last counties to have a positive report, in addition to Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt and
Wood.
Hamilton said the health department conducted an active dead bird surveillance program.
Last year the first cases of West Nile virus were found in West Virginia. It was detected in most counties before the summer
was over.
In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta confirmed a 78-year-old Parkersburg man was
infected with the virus when he died in late summer.
His infection was the second case of the virus in a human in West Virginia, although officials said the virus was not the direct
cause of death. The CDC said the official cause of death was multiple organ failure.
The health department is still asking residents to report dead birds. While people have been told to be on the watch for dead
Blue Jays or hawks, they need to report all birds. A number of song birds were found last year that tested positive for the
virus.
Last year, 13 of 39 dead birds from Wood County tested positive for the virus.
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