Seven horse deaths have been attributed to the virus. As mosquito season draws to a close and the potential for WNV infection ends, statewide surveillance and testing activities for the year will be discontinued. The sentinel chicken flocks have been retired and routine WNV mosquito surveillance for the season has been discontinued. County government agencies, however, will continue appropriate surveillance for general mosquito control. Such measures include spraying insect repellent on their clothing and exposed skin in accordance with labeling directions and wearing long sleeved shirts and pants when outdoors.
Residents can also curb outdoor activities at dawn, dusk and during the evening.
Residents should also eliminate standing water on their own property that can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Windows screens should also be used and kept in good repair. The West Nile virus, an arboviral disease, is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. WNV is not directly transmitted from birds to humans or from person to person. The West Nile virus was first isolated and identified in the Western Hemisphere by the CDC in September 1999 in birds found dead in New York City and Westchester County.