Local Crows Are Dying,

But Not From Virus

By Steve Bigham

Eight dead crows have been found in Newtown over the past two weeks. Seven have tested negative for the West Nile Virus; health district officials are awaiting test results on the eighth bird.

Animal Control Officer George Mattegat picked up bird number 8 along Great Hill Road last week. After spending the weekend in the health district freezer, it was transported to Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) facilities Tuesday.

Several other area towns have had dead crows test positive for the virus over the past month. Three weeks ago, Newtown Health District Director Mark Cooper predicted that an infected dead crow would turn up in town sometime soon.

The Health District staff has named the eight dead crows found in Newtown (in alphabetical order). They are: Albert, Bonnie, Clyde, Deirdre, Elian, Felicia, Gary, and Hillary.

  According to a DEP report released this week, the virus has now been found in birds tested in 43 Connecticut communities. Authorities said 273 birds have tested positive for the virus in Connecticut so far this year, 268 of them crows.

   A DEP mosquito-monitoring trap in Newtown was recently checked and the 360 mosquitoes that were collected all tested negative for the West Nile Virus.

The virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes and can sometimes lead to a deadly swelling of the brain. There have been no human cases reported in Connecticut this year.

 In early August, town highway crews traveled the streets of town dropping donut-shaped larvicide into catch basins in an effort to stop the spread of mosquitoes during the months of August and September. The mosquito-killing mission was a preventative measure against the spread of the virus.

According to Mr Cooper, catch basins along roadways are notorious breeding areas for mosquitoes. Also, the catch basins are connected to most of the local brooks, streams, and ponds. The hope is that the larvicide spread to these areas as well.

Last year, traces of the West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis were discovered for the first time in the Western Hemisphere in and around New York City where six people died during the late summer months. It was also found in two species of mosquitoes trapped in Greenwich and in the brain tissue of many crows in coastal Connecticut.

The West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne viral infection that can cause inflammation of the brain. It is named after the West Nile district of Uganda where the virus was first isolated in 1937. The elderly are most susceptible to this virus. West Nile is spread to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes. A mosquito is infected by biting a bird that carries the virus.

Statistics gathered by the state offer more evidence that residents should not panic about West Nile-like encephalitis. The likelihood of being bitten by an infected mosquito is quite rare, according to information supplied by the DEP. Only about 1 in 1,000 mosquitoes are infected, so even if a person living in an area where West Nile-like virus has been reported is bitten, “They are not likely to get sick,” said Michele Sullivan, DEP Communications Director.

Mr Cooper said the West Nile Virus threat would decrease significantly once the area has its first frost.