DELAWARE - The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has detected West Nile Virus for the first time this year in chickens in the state.
DNREC says the virus was found in eight sentinel chickens, which are used by the state to monitor for mosquito-borne illnesses. The birds were sampled July 22nd and reported to be virus-positive by the Delaware Division of Public Health Laboratory on Wednesday, July 24th, according to DNREC.
Health officials found positive results for the virus in three sentinel chicken stations in New Castle County, one station in Kent County, and one station in Sussex County.
“Encountering eight virus-positive chickens in just one week is above the typical weekly rate for our program’s WNV findings, but perhaps reflects what seems to be an active WNV season thus far this year elsewhere in the Northeast,” said Mosquito Control Section Administrator Dr. William Meredith.
DNREC says there are currently no human cases of West Nile Virus in Delaware to date. The Department urges horse owners to vaccinate their animals, as the virus can cause central nervous system dysfunction in horses and can be fatal.
In humans, DNREC says the majority of people infected with WNV do not develop symptoms, but about 20% of people can develop a mild illness. In rare cases, the Department says those affected can develop serious illness involving neurological issues, paralysis, and possibly death.
Blood samples are collected from sentinel chickens each week beginning in July into the fall, DNREC says, and are tested for West Nile Virus and eastern equine encephalitis. Chickens bitten by the insects carrying these diseases develop antibodies, but are otherwise unaffected, according to the Department.
