Oregon has become the last of the continental United States to be affected by West Nile virus (WNV). Malheur County officials and the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) confirmed Aug. 13 that a dead crow found in Vale (in the east central part of the state) was infected with WNV.


The testing was conducted at Oregon State University’s Veterinarian Diagnostic Laboratory.


West Nile virus was first introduced to the United States in 1999, and finally worked its way into the last of the unaffected states via migrating birds and mosquitoes this summer. 


Mel Kohn, MD, state epidemiologist in DHS, said, “We’ve been expecting West Nile virus to appear in Oregon at any time, so this is not a surprise. This does not necessarily mean that we expect to see human cases any time soon. But it does mean that people need to be sure they are taking precautions against mosquitoes

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