Dead bird found on White House lawn to be tested for West Nile Virus
By Associated Press, 7/26/2002 01:10
WASHINGTON (AP) A dead crow discovered on the White House grounds was infected with West Nile virus, health officials said after the bird was tested.
The crow is one of two found near a fountain on the South Lawn this week. The first was discovered late Sunday by Secret Service officers, who then found the second early Monday.
A District of Columbia crew sent to collect the birds found the first too decomposed to test. The second was sent to a state lab in Maryland, which tests all suspect bird carcasses found in the district.
An additional 45 dead birds in the city have tested positive for West Nile so far this year, according to the city\'s Health Department. More than half have been found in a neighborhood in the Northwest Washington.
That area is home to the National Zoo, which said last week that two flamingo chicks and a duck died this month from West Nile, which the zoo also believes killed a dozen more of its birds.
On the Net:
D.C. Dept. of Health:
http://dchealth.dc.gov/index.asp
