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Passaic
County Department of Health
TEL:
(973) 881-4396
FAX:
(973) 225-0222
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2003
(973)
225-3638
PATERSON- New Jersey’s efforts at
controlling the spread of West Nile virus have been largely successful,
minimizing the risk to the state population. However, a false sense of
security by New Jersey residents could lead to an increased spread of
the virus.
The Passaic County Department of Health and the Passaic County Division
of Mosquito Control stress the urgent need for the public to continue to
monitor the dead crow population. In comparison to other New Jersey
counties, Passaic County is not experiencing a similar volume of
residential dead crow reporting which is crucial for a town to establish
the presence of the West Nile virus.
Crows, more than any other bird native to New Jersey, are especially
susceptible to illness and death from West Nile virus. Dead crows in an
area may mean that the West Nile virus is circulating between the birds
and the mosquitoes in that area. The Passaic County Department of Health
encourages the public’s help in tracking this virus by asking that they
contact their local health department when a sick or dead crow is found
on their property.
Due to the large number of crows submitted and/or the condition of some
bird carcasses, not all crows can be tested to determine if they were
infected with WNV. Your local health department will be notified of the
testing outcome of the sample(s) collected from your property in
approximately 1-3 weeks and will share that information with you upon
request. To report a dead or sick crow in your area, contact your local
health department or the Passaic County Department of Health at (973)
881-4396 for the phone number of your local health department. A listing
of phone numbers to report dead crows can be found on the Passaic County
Department of Health Website at:
http://pcdh.org/West_Nile/WestNileInfo.htm
Thank you once again for your assistance. Any mosquito concerns should
be directed to the Passaic County Mosquito Control at (973) 305-5754
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