Bird in Belfast tests positive for West Nile

After revealing that a bird found in Belfast was the first this year to test positive for West Nile, state officials Thursday used the opportunity to remind Mainers to protect themselves against mosquito bites and eliminate mosquito breeding areas near their homes.

An unnamed individual found the bird, a grackle, in Belfast and reported it through the state’s dead-bird hot line, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday. Though the first this year, it was the 199th bird that has tested positive for West Nile virus since the state began testing dead birds in 2000.

West Nile first appeared in New York in 1999 but has since spread throughout the continental United States. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 3,000 people were diagnosed with West Nile-related sickness nationwide last year, with 119 deaths.

There are no known West Nile-related illnesses in Maine to date, according to the CDC data.

Dr. Dora Anne Mills, Maine’s public health director, said the discovery of a positive bird was expected and is not a reason to panic. Instead, Mills said the find should remind people to take precautions when going outside.

“It’s just a reminder that the latter part of the summer, and into the fall especially, we need to reduce the risk of getting bitten by mosquitoes,” Mills said Thursday.

Health officials recommend that anyone spending time outside – especially around dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active – wear long-sleeved shirts and pants or apply insect repellent to exposed skin or clothing. Repellents containing active ingredients, such as DEET, have been shown to be most effective.

Wearing repellent can also reduce the risk of contracting other insect-borne diseases. Last year, seven birds and two horses in Maine tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis, another mosquito-borne disease that has a mortality rate of up to 50 percent.

Repellents can also help reduce the risk of being bitten by ticks carrying Lyme disease, which infects about 200 Mainers every year, Mills said.

Officials also recommend that at least twice a week, homeowners eliminate pools of standing water that can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. These include water gardens, flower pots, pet food and water dishes, poorly draining gutters, discarded tires, pool covers and any other objects that collect water.

Maine currently operates a toll-free, dead-bird reporting hot line. Biologists then test a sample of the reported birds for West Nile, eastern equine encephalitis and other diseases.

The hot line may also be used in the future to test for the presence of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, which has yet to be detected in the United States but may arrive in the country via migrating birds.

The hotline is (888) 697-5846.

For more information on mosquito-borne diseases, visit online: www.mainepublichealth.gov