Lane County Public Health reported Thursday that a dead crow found in the Sheldon area of Eugene earlier this month has tested positive for the West Nile virus.
The bird was found Sept. 3 and sent to the Veterinary Diagnostics Lab at Oregon State University for testing.
County officials said the discovery of West Nile here was inevitable, given reports of the virus elsewhere in the state.
“We’ve been assuming it has been present here,” public health official Tamara Wilhite said in a press release. “The confirmation that it has finally arrived might increase anxiety about the virus for some people. But, it is important to evaluate our risk properly and to recognize that we can all take precautions and protect ourselves and our families from mosquito bites and remove mosquito-breeding sources from our property. Also remember that only one person in five who tests positive for WNv remembers having been ill. One in 200 infected people progress to encephalitis (brain inflammation).”
Twenty-four birds have been sent from Lane County for testing since the beginning of the summer. Currently, LCPH is submitting dead crows and blue jays for testing only if multiple birds die in an area. The agency will test for West Nile if two birds die at about the same time and place, there don’t appear to be external injuries, and it appears the birds died within the past 24 hours. To report birds that meet these criteria, call 682-3497.
For more information about West Nile, visit www.lanecounty.org/CAO_PIO/westnilevirus/wnv_main.htm.

— Jared Paben