San Benito County this month has started methodical testing of a
local chicken flock for three diseases, West Nile virus, Western
equine encephalomyelitis and Saint Louis encephalitis.
San Benito County this month has started methodical testing of a local chicken flock for three diseases, West Nile virus, Western equine encephalomyelitis and Saint Louis encephalitis.
In the past, San Benito County had tested local fowl populations, but it did so randomly when concerns arose about the number of mosquitoes in an area.
The testing by the county’s agriculture department, in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, will be conducted semi-weekly for five months.
The testing here – officials don’t want the flock’s location disclosed – involves each chicken having blood drawn from the cone – the skin on top of their head – and then having it placed on filter paper. When all 10 chickens have had their blood drawn, the samples are sent to Sacramento for testing.
Drawing the blood for the tests costs $9 for each of the 10 birds used in each session.
This year in California, two chickens in Los Angeles County have tested positive for West Nile virus. No reports have been found in San Benito County.
To find out more about the process of how the county is testing for these three diseases, see an expanded version of this story in Friday’s Free Lance. Also check back Friday morning for a video on the local testing.
