Negative birds have been found in these and all other counties. To date, all mosquito samples collected by the Rutgers Mosquito Research and Control Unit and tested by the Department of Health and Senior Services for the presence of the WNV have been negative. Samples have been submitted from all 21 counties. Sentinel Chicken Testing Blood samples taken weekly from sentinel chicken flocks placed in all 21 counties and tested by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture for the presence of WNV have all been negative to date. 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. 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. The virus was responsible for 62 human cases of encephalitis in New York State and seven deaths.