UH fights West Nile virus
By Andrew Fritsch
The Daily Cougar
A dead blue jay was seen Monday morning
in front of Steven Power Farish Hall by the Cullen Fountain. This was the
second on-campus sighting of a dead blue jay in the past three weeks.
Brian Viney/The Daily Cougar
A dead blue jay rests in
peace in front of Farish Hall on Monday after dying of unknown causes.
Though this bird's cause of death was not known, many birds have died as
a result of the West Nile Virus.
The blue jay could be one of the many
birds killed by the West Nile Virus in the Houston area this summer.
"We don't know why it died. It could have
been any number of things that could have killed the bird. It could have
been infected somewhere else and died
here," said Bob Schneller, executive director
of safety and risk
management.
UH Physical Plant workers disposed of the
bird about 5 p.m. Monday, Schneller said.
"They (Physical Plant employees) didn't
touch the bird. They used rubber gloves and double plastic bags like they
should have," Schneller said. But there are
no warnings or other special precautions
taken, he said.
The Center for Disease Control recommends
anyone who sees any animal that may have died from the West Nile Virus
should not touch it, use rubber
gloves and throw it away in double plastic
bags.
Schneller said the bird is not being tested
for the West Nile Virus because the CDC recommended the bird should merely
be thrown away.
He said initially, about the time the first
dead blue jay was found on campus, the county wanted the dead birds, but
now it has too many and has stopped
picking up the birds for testing.
"The main thing for preventing the spread
of the virus is keeping the mosquitoes down, and the Physical Plant does
it regularly," Schneller said. "We've
always done it. It's not like it just
started. The Physical Plant has in-house treatment."
The CDC reports that much less than 1 percent
of the mosquito population in an area where the West Nile Virus has been
reported is infected with the
disease.
The West Nile Virus is spread through contact
with infected mosquitoes and possibly ticks and cannot be acquired from
contact with an infected person.
There is no evidence that the virus can
be spread through contact with live or dead infected birds.
UH Health Center officials report there
have been no complaints or cases related to the West Nile Virus.
If someone sees a dead bird, Schneller
said the best thing to do is to not touch the bird and call the Physical
Plant at 713-743-4948.
