(Des Moines)– West Nile Virus has been found in two more northwest Iowa counties.
The Iowa Department of Public Health says tests conducted by the University of Iowa Hygenic lab have found the virus in one dead blue jay and two dead crows in O’Brien county and a crow in Ida county.
West Nile Virus has now been confirmed in 29 Iowa counties, and officials fear it’s spread throughout the state.
No humans in Iowa have tested positive for the disease, spread by mosquitoes. In worse case scenarios, West Nile can cause a potentially fatal brain inflammation.
On a related note, Dickinson county public health officials say they continue to get a lot of calls from people wondering what to do about dead birds. Officials say since West Nile has already been confirmed in Dickinson county that there’s no need to send the birds in for testing. They’re urging people to leave them alone. If you do move them you should use gloves and avoid direct contact with them.
