Florida Department of Health Nassau
Press Release
August 24, 2018 1:00 p.m.
The Florida Department of Health in Nassau County (DOH-Nassau) advises residents that mosquito-borne disease activity is ongoing and continues to be detected in surveillance systems in Nassau County.
Throughout the year, DOH-Nassau partners with the Nassau County Volunteer Fire Department, Nassau County Commissioners and Amelia Island Mosquito Control District to maintain sentinel chicken flocks in the eastern, western, and middle sections of the county, to monitor for West Nile virus, and other similar mosquito borne illnesses, called arboviruses. These chickens are regularly tested for four arboviruses that can affect humans and animals: Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), West Nile virus (WNV), Highlands J virus (HJV), and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV).
Most human infections with EEEV, WNV, and SLEV are asymptomatic or may result in a nonspecific flu-like syndrome with fever and headache. Infection may, however, lead to encephalitis, with a fatal outcome or permanent neurologic sequelae. Fortunately, only a small proportion of infected people progress to having encephalitis. Exposure to HJV has not been associated with human illnesses.
So far in 2018, there have been four cases of EEEV infection in horses in Nassau County and one outbreak of EEEV reported in emus. Ten sentinel chickens have tested positive for EEEV in Nassau County this year, one has tested positive for HJV, and 17 have tested positive for WNV. There has been an increase in sentinel chicken WNV activity throughout the county in recent weeks, coinciding with the peak period of WNV transmission in Florida from July through September.
DOH-Nassau urges residents and visitors to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and to take precautions to help limit exposure.
To protect yourself from mosquitoes, you should remember to “Drain and Cover”: