West Nile-Infected Birds Turn Up in Point Pleasant and Brick

It was bound to happen, sooner or later. Dead birds with the West Nile Virus, have turned up in Brick and Point Pleasant.

They are the first birds with the virus found in the county this year, according to Ocean County Public Health Coordinator Daniel Regenye.

Of four infected birds found, two were discovered in Brick and two were found in Point Pleasant Borough.

The disease is carried by mosquitoes that bite birds, mostly crows,  and transmit it to them.

The county’s Mosquito Extermination Commission is always on the lookout for mosquito-breeding pools with the virus.

Of 208 pools samples this summer, only four – two from each town – have been found with the virus, said Freeholder Gerry P. Little.

Regenye said the commission is trapping mosquitoes in the areas where the birds with the virus were found.

He also reported the first case of human West Nile Virus infection in the state, a 50-year-old Hamilton Township man who is recovering at home from symptoms that included fever, headaches, joint pain and numbness in his hands.

Regenye said people can help themselves and their neighbors by reporting dead crows, blue jays or other birds to the county Health Department at 732-341-9700, extension 7502.

Not all the birds will be tested at the state lab, but the locations where they are found will trigger monitoring operations of the Mosquito Extermination Commission.

Health Department public information officer Leslie Terjesen said homeowners can reduce the number of mosquitoes by eliminating sources of standing water and changing the water frequently in bird baths and kiddie pools.

To reduce the chance of being bitten by mosquitoes she suggests:

• Staying inside at dawn and dusk.

• Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
• Using insect repellents containing DEET, but not on children younger than three years old.