Clearwater, Fla.-(Newsradio 970 WFLA)-More sentinel chickens have tested positive for the West Nile Virus in two Pinellas County locations. One of the positive tests for the mosquito-borne virus was in St. Petersburg's Cross Bayou area and the other near Keystone Road in the Tarpon Springs area.
Technicians are responding by treating adult mosquitoes and larvae by ground and by air in addition to ongoing treatment efforts. Residents are being urged to get rid of any standing water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
Citizens are also urged to cover up or stay indoors during peak mosquito hours at dusk and dawn. You are also being urged to use approved repellents.
Sentinel chickens serve as an early warning detection system for some mosquito-borne diseases and can signal that disease carrying mosquitoes are present.