St. Petersburg, Fla.-(Newsradio 970 WFLA)-Pinellas County Mosquito Control has confirmed a positive test result for West Nile Virus in five sentinel chickens in the Walsingham area of Largo and the Cross Bayou and Sawgrass Lake areas of St. Petersburg.
Sentinel chickens serve as an early-warning detection system for some mosquito-borne diseases and can signal that disease-carrying mosquitoes are present. This system alerts Mosquito Control to the presence of diseases such as West Nile Virus, St. Louis Encephalitis, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and Highlands J Virus. There are eight locations in the county where chickens are kept and tested weekly.
Citizens are urged to protect themselves from mosquitoes by staying indoors during the peak hours of mosquito activity at dawn and dusk when possible; using approved mosquito repellents, and ensuring screens and seals are intact around windows and doors.
Residents are also urged to be diligent in ridding their properties of standing water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Mosquitoes can breed in as little as one quarter inch of standing water.