After a dead crow was found in Lansing with the West Nile Virus, several disease experts say they are not surprised the virus is spreading so quickly.
The crow was found Aug. 27 by a resident near Lake Lansing Road and U.S. 127.
The Ingham County Health Department sent the crow to MSU’s Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory and the Michigan Department of Community Health for testing, said Bob Godbold, director of environmental health at the Ingham County Health Department.
MSU officials announced Aug. 23 that two crows from Clinton Township and Royal Oak tested positive for the virus. Since then, crows with the virus have been found in Ann Arbor, Jackson, Birmingham, Huntington Woods, Inkster, Redford Township, Macomb Township, Detroit, Dearborn, Livonia, Oak Park and Southfield.
The virus can be spread to humans only by mosquitoes who also carry the virus.
Experts on the virus are not surprised at the spreading of the disease.
“It’s not surprising to see it now in other counties,” said Geralyn Lasher, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Community Health. “More and more people have been submitting crows for testing.”
Typical symptoms of the disease are a mild headache or fever. The elderly and young are susceptible to more severe symptoms, such as encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, which can cause disorientation, coma and, in rarer cases, death.
When the virus was first introduced in 1999 in New York City, 62 people became sick and seven people died. The virus has continued to spread west, and crows suspected to have the virus have also been found in Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Specialists at the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention are encouraging residents in affected areas to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants in the evening, and avoid leaving open water n their yards.
“As far as the CDC goes, we think the virus is here to say, so we’re not surprised really that its spreading,” said CDC spokesman Charles Fallis.
But Butch Kinerney, a spokesman for the U.S. Geological Survey, said he is surprised at the pace of the virus across America.
“It’s dramatic how far and how fast the virus is spreading,” he said. “There is no biological or geographical or climatic reason that the virus is going to stop moving. There’s nothing to stop the virus from moving west.”
Kinerney said the virus has been found in 80 bird species. The quick migration of these birds has been a major factor in the spreading of the West Nile Virus.
While the virus is a health concern, it is important for people to realize the small risk they have of catching the virus, said Jon Patterson, an associate professor in the Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation.
Patterson is also the Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory representative on Michigan’s Arbovirus Surveillance Team, which has been conducting tests on all crows found throughout the state.
“No more than 1 percent of mosquitoes are carrying the virus, and if you even get bit by a mosquito carrying the virus, there’s only a 1 percent chance you’re going to get sick,” he said.
