LAWRENCE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A great blue heron in Cass County has tested positive for West Nile virus.
The Van Buren/Cass District Health Department was notified by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources about the positive test.
The bird is the 69th to test positive so far this year for West Nile virus.
It is the most common mosquito-borne illness in both the state and the U.S. West Nile virus is a vector-borne virus that can cause mild to severe illness in people and animals.
About one in every five people who get infected with West Nile virus develop a mild illness called West Nile fever, which causes headaches, fever, body aches, fatigue, and an occasional skin rash. In rare cases, it can also cause severe neurological illness.
Experts recommend removing standing water from containers like buckets, tires, gutters, and flowerpots where mosquitoes can breed. They also say people need to use insect repellent with DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, and wear long sleeves and pants outside at dawn and dusk.
Comments