March 28, 2007
Wyoming Department of Health

Representatives from the Wyoming Department of Health announced today they will not seek or accept Wyoming birds for West Nile virus (WNV) testing this year.

"Over time, we have seen little correlation between avian West Nile virus prevalence and human disease in Wyoming," said Janae Stovall, surveillance epidemiologist with the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program at the Wyoming Department of Health. "The past two seasons we have learned of human infection of the virus before we had an indication of avian transmission occurring in the same geographic locations."

Testing of dead birds in Wyoming began in 2002 as a way to help determine the presence of WNV in various areas around the state. Despite the number of birds that have been submitted for West Nile virus testing since 2002 (1,432), only 16 percent have been found to be positive for WNV infection.

"At this point, we believe our resources would best serve Wyoming residents with an emphasis on human surveillance, education and human virus testing," Stovall said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently cut the state's federal funding for West Nile virus activities by about 40 percent.

The Wyoming Public Health Laboratory will continue testing human WNV specimens at no cost. Last year there were 65 cases of West Nile virus reported in Wyoming with 2 deaths. There were 12 human cases with 2 deaths in 2005; 10 human cases with no deaths in 2004; and 393 human cases with 12 deaths in 2003.

"By now we know that West Nile virus is certainly present around Wyoming and that everyone should take the proper precautions to protect themselves from infection," Stovall continued.

The Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory (WSVL) will test horses for possible WNV infection. Questions about horse testing should be directed to Dr. Todd Cornish at the WSVL (307) 742-6638.