What measures are being taken to protect Arkansas residents?
The best protection against any mosquito-borne virus is to prevent mosquitoes from biting. Personal protection methods and mosquito abatement techniques are listed at the end of this fact sheet. In addition to prevention, identification of the virus in a bird, mosquito, horse, or human assists public health officials in providing specific recommendations to an affected area. Surveillance for WNV includes testing of dead birds, especially crows, blue jays, robins, hawks, and owls, which are very sensitive to infection with WNV. Many of these birds infected with WNV in the US die from the disease. If you find a dead bird with no obvious cause of death, notify an Environmentalist Specialist at your local health unit to report it. If the bird is a recently dead blue jay, crow, robin, hawk, or owl, bring it in to the local health unit to have it tested for WNV. Laboratory samples from humans who are suspected of having a mosquito-borne viral encephalitis will also be tested for West Nile vi
