FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] West Nile Virus in Kentucky/Ohio

["Kathy Caminiti" <krzy4owls@xxxxxxxx>]

West Nile Virus is certainly here in Kentucky and Ohio >

This is a really long and depressing email, but I felt it important to share
this with this listserv.

It's been a horrific past three weeks here in Kentucky (and Ohio) with sick
raptors being turned into rehabilitation centers and birds (including
songbirds) being found dead.

I am no expert by any means on this subject of West Nile Virus but I've
received several emails of questions and have combined the information that
I've received over the past three week into the below.  We should all be
aware of the situation and do anything we can to help.

 First, our best source of information is the Kentucky Cabinet for
 Health Services "West Nile Virus" Website:
http://publichealth.state.ky.us/west_nile_virus.htm

That website is continuously updated.  As of today, the Kentucky website
says:
 "Results through 8/29/02: 175 positive birds; 651 birds tested from 108
 counties. 56 positive horses out of 151 tested. 12419 mosquito collected
from 15 counties; 17 positive mosquito pools. 62 human samples, 1 positive,
54 negative."

On that website, you can find:
* Many answers to your WNV questions
* You can click on the link for a Kentucky Counties Map showing Positive
West Nile Virus Activity in 2002
* You can also click on the link for a Chart of Positive Specimens by
County (This shows totals for humans, horses, birds and mosquitoes per
county and does not give a breakdown of the bird species).
* How to reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and neighborhood
* And what you can do to reduce your risk of becoming infected with West
Nile Virus.

** No more birds are being sent in for testing at this time in Kentucky :
The UK Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center has reached their capacity of
accepting birds for  testing.  Therefore, no more birds are being excepted
for testing at this time in Kentucky.  They have received around 1300 birds
from 108 counties as of 8/23/02 and have completed WNV testing on around
600+ of them.  To date, they have 175 positive birds out of those testings.
The lab is also performing necropsies (autopsies)  and documenting songbird
disease information in addition to the WNV testing.

I spoke with Danny Watson today (he is the biologist with Ky. Dept. of Fish
and Wildlife who is taking reports only of "dead birds" found in Kentucky
and that are suspected of West Nile Virus)  They are taking reports of dead
birds only up until around September 15th, 2002.

TO REPORT DEAD BIRDS FOUND:   Please email Danny Watson at
danny.watson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx giving him the following information:
Species, County Found In, and even an exact mailing address is very
helpful to them (with a mailing address they can actual get a GPS reading
for their data) and any other information you might feel useful.  Please
also let him know if you happen to see "greenish feces" at the bird's vent
area.  If possible, please email him instead of calling him as he is swamped
with phone calls.

If you need to dispose of the dead bird because it is laying in your yard,
you could invert a ziploc bag (or a trash bag if the bird is too big for a
 ziploc), grab the bird with it and then turn the bag right-side in so as to
not touch the bird.  It would probably be a good idea to "double-bag" the
bird before placing it in the garbage can.

IF YOU FIND A SICK BIRD:
 If you come upon a "sick bird" that is acting strangely or laying down or
unable to fly, you should call your local wildlife rehabilitiation person
or center.  (If you don't know a bird rehabilitator in your area, call the
KDFWR at 1-800-25ALERT and tell them what county you are in and that you are
looking for a BIRD Rehabilitator).   Do not touch the bird.  Even though the
virus is passed through mosquitoes, there is no reason to touch the bird.
If you are concerned that it will walk off into the woods, etc. you could
try to put a cardboard box over it (with some small holes in it) until
hopefully a rehabber can come for it.

Below is a list of symptoms found in WNV raptors:
Early detection of an infection seems to be key in helping the bird recover.
Early signs of exposure found are:
1) the bird closes one eye
2) feathers growning in fall out and are pinched off at the follicle
3) flies too slowly, seems too tame, or wobbles even slightly
Other symptoms include:
emaciated - (bone thin)
anisocoria (one pupil is larger than the other)
tremors
seizures
paralysis
general disorientation
loss of appetite
dehydration
difficulty swallowing
greenish feces
In extreme cases birds may turn the head repeatedly to one side (as if
concussed), flip over backwards, and have other types of nervous fits.

Back on 8/7/02, I had transferred a Red-Tailed Hawk with seizures(found here
in Florence, Ky. - Boone County)  from my Federal Raptor Rehabilitation
Permit Number to Raptor Inc. in Cincinnati.  The blood serum sample from
this Red-tailed Hawk was one of the first three blood serum samples that
were sent to the lab for West Nile Virus testing.   All three of those
samples' results were WNV Positive.  Raptor Inc. has since received 4 more
results back now and all four of  those birds were also WNV Positive.  The 7
birds total consisted of :  5 Great Horned Owls and 2 Red-Tailed Hawks.
Amazingly three of those birds are still alive - 2 GHOs and one RT. One GHO
(admitted 8/11) is now in a flight cage, eating well, but still weak. The RT
(admitted 8/14) also has improved significantly, but has not been moved
outside yet. The other GHO (admitted 8/17) has made significant improvement,
but still has balance problems and is very "quiet".
One of those Great Horned Owls was picked up by us near the No.
Ky./Cincinnati Airport with same the WNV symptoms of head-twitching.  Raptor
Inc. has admitted 54 birds so far in August, at least 40 of which have
suspicious symptoms that could be WNV
(30 Great Horned Owls, 5 Red-tailed Hawks, 3 Cooper's Hawks, 1
Red-shouldered Hawk and 1 Barred Owl)

There was an article in the Cincinnati Post yesterday that can be viewed
on-line at http://www.cincypost.com/2002/aug/29/nile082902.html which says
"there have been about 400 owls and hawks that have died recently in Ohio".
It also states "The virus most commonly has been found in blue jays and
crows but has been confirmed in 111 bird species nationwide."   (They must
have pulled that number from the 111 birds species list from 1999 to present
which can be found at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/birdspecies.htm  )

Kentucky is still, of course, compiling its data of the list of bird
species, etc., but I do know that Robins, Grackles, Blue Jays, Yellow-billed
Cuckoo, Blue Grosbeak, Goldfinches and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been
found WNV positive in Kentucky.

As bad as all that sounds, what is even more disturbing is that the virus's
effect on raptors appears to be a new phenomenon.  Earlier outbreaks of West
Nile in the east did not seem to have an effect anything like the effect on
these raptors here.

Raptor rehab centers all over are completely overwhelmed with these sick
birds including Raptor Rehab of Ky. in Louisville, Ky.   They are giving
supportive care to these birds and some centers are administering the equine
vaccination to some birds.  The WNV in some rehab centers has even spread to
their education birds that they use for programs and some have died.
There's a lot of people out there fighting and trying to help these birds.
I've shed many tears reading their stories on the "raptorcare listserv".
Their dedication to helping these birds is truly admirable.  God love them
and help them and the birds! and other animals!

Kathy Caminiti
Burlington, Ky.
(Boone County)


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