Bird found on WFU campus tests positive for West Nile virus
A dead crow found Aug. 26 on Wake Forest University’s Reynolda Campus has tested positive for the West Nile virus. It is one of six birds that have tested positive for the virus in Forsyth County since Aug. 13, according to the Forsyth County Environmental Health Department. Forsyth officials said they do not anticipate testing additional birds in the county.
University officials were notified of the test results in recent days.
At this time, no human cases of the virus have been reported in North Carolina and no mosquitoes have tested positive for the virus in Forsyth County, according to the health department. Thirty North Carolina counties have confirmed positive cases of the virus in birds.
A university staff member found the crow around 6:30 a.m. in the road at the corner of Gulley Drive and Wingate Road. The university then promptly contacted the health department, after following proper procedures for preserving the bird.
The university is notifying university students, faculty and staff about the incident through e-mail and a university Web site, www.wfu.edu/wowf, as well as student media. Additional information about the virus and precautions that individuals may take to protect themselves is also being distributed in the e-mail message. Links to Web sites containing details about the virus, including those operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, are included in the message.
On Aug. 20, the Wake Forest News Service distributed an e-mail to university students, faculty and staff regarding steps the university was taking to reduce the mosquito population on campus. The university continues to follow these steps, which include checking for water puddles on flat roofs, promptly emptying water that accumulates in trash cans and buckets, clearing gutters and downspouts, and regularly looking for other places where water might accumulate.
Categories: Campus Life, Community Impact, University Announcements
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