It might sound like a covert operation from a spy movie, but sentinel chickens are real assets in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases in Orange County. As unconventional as it sounds, these chickens serve as an early warning system to detect viruses such as West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and St. Louis Encephalitis. Orange County Government has turned to these feathered friends for an ingenious approach to monitoring public health threats.
According to an Orange County newsroom release, these birds are uniquely helpful because they don't spread the arboviruses they contract. Steve Harrison, Manager for Orange County Mosquito Control, emphasized that the chickens are a "dead-end" host. "Once they become infected with an arbovirus from a mosquito bite, they will develop an immune response that is only detected in a blood test," he explained.
The sentinel chicken program involves keeping the birds in coops scattered across strategic areas in the county. Staff are tasked with coop maintenance, care, and weekly blood sample collection for lab testing. If a virus is detected in the blood of a chicken, it alerts the team to those specific locations where necessary control measures, like spraying, can be implemented to prevent further spread of the disease.
For those interested in the details of this program or wishing to learn more about the disease prevention initiatives undertaken by Orange County, visiting the Orange County Mosquito Control website can provide a wealth of information.
