West Nile Virus Surveillance

Dead BirdSubmission Information

Dead birds will only be accepted for testing from May 1 through October 15.

Birds submitted for testing should be “eligible birds” with no obvious cause of death, such as birds killed by a gunshot or birds found crushed on a roadway and most likely killed by a motor vehicle. Submitted birds should be believed dead less than 48 hours.

Birds should only be submitted if they have not been damaged by scavenging animals and are not decomposed. Decomposed animals can be recognized as having a strong odor present, eyes deflated or dried, maggots present, or bloated from decomposition gases – those specimens should be discarded.

Birds submitted for testing should be submitted through or authorized by the local health department (call before bringing in).

How to prepare a bird before bringing it to the Health Dept:

If you plan on bringing a bird to the Perry County Health Department for testing, please read the following information on preparing the specimen.

Have West Nile Virus questions? email us here