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County officials: Sentinel chickens are first line of defense against West Nile, mosquito control

 
Chickens are shown on site at the Pinellas County Environment and Infrastructure building. While these are not sentinel chickens themselves, their counterparts are typically purchased from a provider and raised by the county. When a chicken is infected — with West Nile or any other kind of virus — this allows officials the opportunity to alert the public and take measures to educate residents about prevention and mosquito control.
Chickens are shown on site at the Pinellas County Environment and Infrastructure building. While these are not sentinel chickens themselves, their counterparts are typically purchased from a provider and raised by the county. When a chicken is infected — with West Nile or any other kind of virus — this allows officials the opportunity to alert the public and take measures to educate residents about prevention and mosquito control.
Published July 11, 2015

TARPON SPRINGS — Chickens are the first line of defense — and an effective one — against the West Nile virus, as far as Pinellas County officials are concerned.

A chicken in Tarpon Springs tested positive for the virus on Thursday. This was the first confirmed appearance of the mosquito-borne illness this year. But the infection wasn't happenstance.

The infected chicken belongs to a coop that is part of the county's sentinel program. These chickens are purchased from a provider and raised by the county. When a chicken is infected — with West Nile or any other virus — officials can alert the public and take measures to educate residents about prevention and mosquito control.

Don't worry about the chickens, said Glen-Paul Edson, who's the county assistant operations manager for mosquito control, because they're doing just fine.

Once infected, he said, the birds do not exhibit any of the adverse effects or symptoms associated with the virus. He even insists, in theory, they'd be safe to eat.

"I would happily eat chicken nuggets."

The chickens are also able to help inform officials about the spread of other viruses like St. Louis encephalitis and the Highlands J virus.

The sentinel program has existed in Pinellas County for at least 30 years, Edson said, and does exactly as it's intended.

As they do every week, workers were treating breeding areas when they discovered the infected chicken. The handlers determine which chickens are infected by testing each one.

"They consider these things like their kids," Edson said.

Analysts test the chickens in seven spots across Pinellas every week. Last year, test results yielded two infected chickens. After a chicken is discovered to be infected, it is then retired from the sentinel program. Because once a chicken has West Nile, Edson said, it will forever have West Nile.

"We are very proactive as a county," Tim Closterman, Pinellas County communications director said. "It comes down to public health."

The team that oversees the sentinel chicken program works hand-in-hand with the health department and is constantly being updated, Closterman said.

"Once the sentinel program came around, it allowed districts to know what was happening in their wildlife population," Edson said.

He maintains that the chickens allow the county to remain vigilant and also inform and educate the community when necessary.

"They're the unsung heroes of mosquito control," Edson said.

Contact Michael Majchrowicz at mmajchrowicz@tampabay.com or (727) 445-4159. Follow @mjmajchrowicz.