Lab reports indicate a bird found dead on campus Aug. 26 tested positive for the West Nile Virus. According to the Forsyth County Environmental Health Department, a university staff member found the crow around 6:30 a.m. in the road at the corner of Gulley Drive and Wingate Road. It is one of six birds found to be carrying the virus in the county since Aug. 13. Forsyth officials do not anticipate testing additional birds in the county.

According to Cecil Price, the director of Student Health Services, students should not be alarmed. "The finding of the bird on campus is not any more significant than the fact it was found in North Carolina," he said. "We found the bird because we were looking for it."

Kevin Cox, Assistant Vice President and Director of Media Relations, stresses the importance of noting that no human cases of the virus have been reported in North Carolina. According to the health department, no mosquitoes have tested positive for the virus in Forsyth County.

The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes from infected birds and causes flu-like symptoms or, in more severe cases, encephalitis, a swelling of the brain. Only less than 1 percent of mosquitoes are thought to be infected with the virus, and those with weakened immune systems or above the age of 50 are most susceptible to becoming ill.

Price said the chance of West Nile Virus cases will decrease after the first frost. "Wintertime will settle things down. (But) it may reappear next spring and summer," he said.

Before the discovery of the infected crow on campus, the News Service distributed an e-mail on Aug. 20 to all university students, faculty, and staff regarding measures the university was taking to reduce the mosquito population on campus. These measures include checking for water puddles on flat roofs, promptly emptying water that accumulates in trash cans and buckets, clearing gutters and downspouts, and regularly checking for other places where water might accumulate.

"The University is trying to reduce the opportunities for the mosquito population to grow. Facilities management has taken very seriously the task of trying to reduce standing water on campus," Cox said.

Health officials suggest applying insect repellent to exposed areas of skin and wearing long-sleeved pants and shirts outdoors when possible to prevent the risk of infection.