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. 2005 Sep;11(9):1370-5.
doi: 10.3201/eid1109.040712.

Dead crow density and West Nile virus monitoring, New York

Millicent Eidson  1 , Kate Schmit, Yoichiro Hagiwara, Madhu Anand, P Bryon Backenson, Ivan Gotham, Laura Kramer
Affiliations

Dead crow density and West Nile virus monitoring, New York

Millicent Eidson et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005 Sep.

Abstract

New York State used the health commerce system to monitor the number of West Nile virus (WNV) human disease cases and the density of dead crows. In each year from 2001 to 2003 and for the 3 years combined, persons living in New York counties (excluding New York City) with elevated weekly dead crow densities (above a threshold value of 0.1 dead crows per square mile) had higher risk (2.0-8.6 times) for disease caused by WNV within the next 2 weeks than residents of counties reporting fewer dead crows per square mile. This type of index can offer a real-time, relatively inexpensive window into viral activity in time for prevention and control. Changes in reporting, bird populations, and immunity may require that thresholds other than 0.1 be used in later years or in other areas.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
New York counties with laboratory-confirmed cases of human West Nile virus disease, 2001–2003.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Dead crow densities (DCD, dead crows per square mile) and number of cases of human West Nile virus (WNV) disease, by week, 2001. Horizontal dashed line indicates DCD = 0.1. F, date that the first bird with confirmed WNV infection was found; R, date that the laboratory result of the first bird with WNV infection was reported.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Dead crow densities (DCD, dead crows per square mile) and number of cases of human West Nile virus (WNV) disease, by week, 2002. Horizontal dashed line indicates DCD = 0.1. F, date that the first bird with confirmed WNV infection was found; R, date that the laboratory result of the first bird with WNV infection was reported.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Dead crow densities (DCD, dead crows per square mile) and number of cases of human West Nile virus (WNV) disease, by week, 2003. Horizontal dashed line indicates DCD = 0.1. F, date that the first bird with confirmed WNV infection was found; R, date that the laboratory result of the first bird with WNV infection was reported.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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