Murray Valley Encephalitis has been detected in sentinal chickens in western NSW.

04-Oct-2016

Background
Murray valley encephalitis (MVE) has been detected in sentinel chickens in the Macquarie Marshes area in Western NSW. This indicates that the virus is currently circulating in mosquito populations in this region. People most at risk include residents of and recent visitors to this area. The incubation period is between 5 ‐ 26 days.

What are sentinal chickens?
Sentinel chickens are used to help researchers monitor certain viruses in different communities. They place the chickens in several places in a county and test their blood regularly for certain antibodies. This helps public health researchers to determine what types of viruses are present in the environment at that point in time. Source