The DuPage County Health Department’s online dead bird reporting tool went live on July 3 with health officials hoping the results would allow them to track areas of high risk for West Nile virus, the Chicago Tribune reports.  Since July 3, there have been more than 100 incidents of dead birds reported to the Health Department.

For reporting, health officials are looking for birds that have been dead no more than 48 hours and include bird species that are known to carry the virus.  In the region, that means reporting dead crows, blue jays, grackles, starlings, robins, cardinals, sparrows, finches, hawks, and owls.  Nearby Cook County has a similar tool that went live on July 17 and has about two dozen reports so far.

Tracking dead birds is an important component of tracking West Nile Virus, according the West Nile Virus Workgroup.  The virus is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites.  However, the virus is transmitted to mosquitoes from feeding on birds that are infected with the virus.  While both horses and humans are susceptible to West Nile Virus, infection cannot be spread to a human from another human or a horse.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that West Nile Virus infection does not present any symptoms in most people that are infected.  The next large proportion of infected individuals will develop febrile illness, which means a fever combined with symptoms such as a headache, body aches, joint pains, diarrhea, vomiting, or a rash.  Recovery is usually complete, but fatigue and weakness may last for weeks.  Less than 1 percent of those that are infected will have severe symptoms, but those that do will develop a neurologic illness such as encephalitis (swelling of the brain) or meningitis (swelling of the surrounding tissues).  Though there may be permanent damage and a long road to recovery, about 90 percent of those with serious symptoms survive.

In order to prevent infection, taking measures to avoid mosquito bites is the best method, reports the CDC.  This means that people should use insect repellent, wear clothing that covers the skin when possible, and mosquito-proof the home using screens and regularly cleaning any sources of standing water.  Public health officials may use aerial spraying to help control the local mosquito population, reports an earlier National Monitor article.

DuPage County and other parts of Illinois are not the only ones using online dead bird reporting tools.  California is seeking reports of dead birds in the corvid, raptor, sparrow, and finch families.  Pennsylvania has created a West Nile Virus Control Program.  The Wisconsin Department of Health also asks for reports, but uses a hotline, not an online tool.