A bluejay in northeastern Ohio is the first positive indicator that West Nile virus (WNV) has arrived in Ohio, according to state and local health officials. No horse or human cases have been found. While this is the first time WNV, a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes, has been identified in the state, it is not unexpected.

“This is no surprise. We were expecting West Nile to be found in Ohio this summer,” said J. Nick Baird, MD, director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). “The State has been preparing for this since last year. The WNV workgroup developed a plan that includes surveillance, public education and mosquito control.”

The Ohio Department of Health has established a toll-free WNV information line for general questions from the public at 888/411-4142. The line is staffed weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Questions regarding mosquito control or the reporting of dead crows or blue jays should be made to local health departments.

“The West Nile virus is only spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito, not through contact with birds. It is not spread person-to-person,” Baird said