Although a dead crow in Oregon recently tested positive for West Nile virus, no evidence of it has been found in Snohomish County or Washington state.
“We still have not had any positives of any kind this year,” said Tim Church, spokesman for the state health department.
So far, 205 dead birds have been tested in Washington for the virus, as well as 13 horses and mosquitoes from 274 sites. No evidence of the virus has been found, Church said.
In Snohomish County, 46 dead birds have been tested, and none has tested positive. Fewer than 10 state residents have been tested; none have had the virus, Church said.
“We’re looking high and low for it,” he said. “As of yet this season, we have not found any evidence of West Nile.”
That makes Washington one of just a few states in the lower 48 not to have either mosquitoes, animals or humans test positive for the virus.
Nationally, 495 people have been infected in 24 states this year, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half the human cases of West Nile virus reported nationally are in Arizona, with 274 cases. California is second with 102.
Oregon’s virus-infected crow was found in Vale, in the state’s southeastern corner. Test results were announced late last week.
“The sample is getting smaller and smaller in terms of states in the continental U.S. that haven’t had it,” Church said. “I think you remember we had a couple bird cases a few years ago.”
One of the birds infected with the virus, a dead crow, was found near Snohomish in 2002.
West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes commonly found in urban and suburban areas. The virus is most common in birds, but sometimes affects other animals, such as horses.
Some people bitten by an infected mosquito may develop mild flulike symptoms that go away without treatment, health officials say. In a small number of cases, the virus can cause serious illness, including fever and inflammation of the brain. People age 50 and older have the highest risk for serious illness.
Even though West Nile isn’t serious for most people, “it can be deadly for some,” Church said.
People often think about the possibility of contracting in the virus when hiking or camping, not realizing that the potential can be as great to be bitten by an infected mosquito in their backyards, Church said.
In Snohomish County, mosquito traps set out in July found the greatest concentrations of mosquitoes in Everett and Marysville.
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