Preliminary tests suggest that West Nile virus might be living in Canada. The virus that first appeared in the Western Hemisphere in 1999 was detected recently in a bird in Louisiana and in humans in Georgia and New York. Georgia also had its first equine WNV case, bringing the U.S. equine case total to 36 confirmed this year.

Canada’s Windsor Star reported that a crow collected Aug. 8 in Windsor, Ontario, was sent to Canadian Co-operative Wildlife Centre labs in Guelph, where the virus was confirmed. According to Reuters, a blue jay found in Oakville, 15 miles west of Toronto, is also being examined after early tests showed signs of WNV. A Health Canada spokeswoman said that a second battery of tests are being performed on the birds to verify their status.

A 30-year-old mare which died in Thomas County, Ga., in early August was confirmed as positive for WNV on Aug. 15. Thirty-five equine cases have been confirmed in Florida, and three were awaiting confirmation as of Aug. 20.

The first equine WNV vaccine was approved and released in early August, and areas that have WNV-positive birds or horses have been administering the product to protect vulnerable horses. “We received 14,000 doses, enough to vaccinate 7,000 horses,” said William Jeter, DVM, Diagnostic Veterinary Manager for Equine Programs in the Florida Division of Animal Industry. “Veterinary practitioners started vaccinating on Aug. 10. Another 5,000 does were released to us by Fort Dodge (Animal Health, the company producing the vaccine), and have gone to our secondary counties (in the Western panhandle of the state) where we’ve found positive WNV birds