judgejb - here's more on West Nile Virus

[judge jb]

good info cmducks.... i think i will grill my ducklins' medium rare again this time... i like to marinate my duck breast in an acid base marinade, that along will nearly cook em...haha....{vinegar and lemon juice}
thanks for the info....

judge jb

[cmducks]

Hey Judge - jost got this news release about the West Nile Virus. Thought you might be interested . . .

News Release

U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey


Release: Contact:
August 1, 2001 Butch Kinerney

Address:
MS 119 USGS National Center
Reston, VA 20192

Email:
bkinerney@usgs.gov

Phone: Fax:
703-648-4732 703-648-4466

USGS Finds West Nile Virus in Ohio Blue Jay

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey in Madison, Wisc., confirmed
today that a dead blue jay, found in Lake County, Ohio, near Concord,
had
the West Nile Virus. The finding marks the farthest west the virus has
been
identified. Concord is near the town of Mentor, about 27 miles northeast
of
Cleveland

Ohio health officials announced the finding on Wednesday, August 1,
2001.
The blue jay was found on July 11 and tissue samples were sent to the
USGS
National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisc., for testing. Two
independent tests isolated and verified the West Nile virus diagnosis.

Last fall, USGS scientists said the West Nile Virus was on the move
south
and possibly west. The virus, considered a special threat to crows and
jays, has appeared this year from Florida to Massachusetts.

"It's not very surprising to see the virus continue its spread along the
shores of Lake Erie," said Dr. Robert McLean, Director of the USGS
National
Wildlife Health Center that did the blue jay testing. "Last year a pool
of
mosquitoes carrying the virus was identified two counties away in Erie
County, Pennsylvania."

McLean said it's likely the bird was infected locally and did not fly to
Lake County carrying the virus.

"Blue jays are a short distance migrant and they generally stay in the
same
area during the summer breeding season. So we think that the bird was
infected nearby which means the virus is most likely active in the
area,"
he said.

Primarily a wild bird disease, the virus has affected a small number of
people, and human symptoms generally are mild. The virus has been found
in
about 80 bird species and 7 mammal species since its arrival in this
country in 1999, McLean said. This summer, the virus has been identified
in
a Florida man, three horses in Florida and hundreds of birds along the
East
Coast. This year, the USGS National Wildlife Health Center has tested
more
than a hundred birds from Ohio, but this is the first positive case.

A USGS West Nile Virus website with additional information is available
at: http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/http_data/nwhc/news/westnil2.html.

The Ohio Department of Health can be reached at 614-644-8562.

The USGS serves the nation by providing reliable scientific information
to:
describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property
from
natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral
resources;
and enhance and protect our quality of life.

* * * USGS * * *

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