Health officials in Mobile County are urging residents to step up their mosquito precautions after a routine surveillance test came back positive for West Nile Virus. The finding came from one of the Mobile County Health Department’s sentinel chickens, birds kept specifically to help track the presence of mosquito-borne illness in the community, which tested positive in the 36544 ZIP code area in the county’s southern reaches.
Dr. Bernard Eichold, the county’s health officer, said the positive test should serve as a reminder that mosquitoes capable of carrying the virus are likely present well beyond the single location where the chicken was found. Health officials generally advise treating detections like this as a signal covering the wider area rather than a single pinpoint risk, given how mosquitoes move and breed across a region.
West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne form of encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can range from a mild, flu-like illness to a severe and occasionally fatal condition, particularly in older adults and people with weakened immune systems. The virus is not spread directly between people or between humans and horses, both of which can become ill after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Instead, it cycles primarily between birds and the mosquitoes that feed on them, which is why sentinel chickens serve as an early warning system for health departments across the Gulf Coast.
Health officials note that the risk window for mosquito-borne encephalitis in south Alabama typically runs from the height of summer through the first hard freeze of the fall, meaning residents in Mobile County are likely to face elevated risk for several more weeks. Standard precautions recommended by public health agencies include draining standing water around homes, wearing insect repellent containing DEET during outdoor activities in early morning and evening hours, and repairing torn window screens to keep mosquitoes from getting indoors.
Local officials continue to monitor additional sentinel chickens placed around the county as part of an ongoing surveillance program, with further testing expected throughout the remainder of mosquito season. Residents who notice unusually high mosquito activity around their property, or who develop flu-like symptoms following a mosquito bite, are encouraged to contact their health care provider and report significant mosquito problems to the county health department.