May 4th, 2011
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Author: The specter of West Nile Virus has prompted Wisconsin to reactivate its dead bird hotline.
See a dead bird? Call 800-433-1610 to report it. “Persons who observe a dead bird can call the hotline to arrange to have the bird tested for (the virus),” says a news release from the state Department of Health Services.
Odds are it’s not just resting. There’s a slim chance the bird was carrying the West Nile Virus, which can, via mosquitoes that feed on both birds and humans, be transmitted to people.
A West Nile infection can produce either no symptoms or ones that resemble the flu. A rarer and more dangerous form causes encephalitis.
According to the department, Wisconsin’s first diagnosed human cases were reported in 2002. There were 52 in that year. Future years would have fewer; there was just one in 2009.
“People should not handle dead birds with their bare hands,” the release adds.
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