Jury still out on West Nile crow tally in E. Brunswick

Jury still out on West Nile crow tally in E. Brunswick

No spraying planned at this time, county officials say

By nicole c. vaccaro

Staff Writer

It is still uncertain if two crows recently discovered in East Brunswick died from the West Nile virus, county officials said yesterday.

According to David Papi, deputy director of the Middlesex County Health Department, the dead birds, which were found last week, are still being tested for the virus.

Papi couldn’t say exactly where those crows were found.

"Results are not expected back until at least [Wednesday] sometime," he said, explaining that the state generally releases test results on a weekly basis.

"So far, a total of six infected birds have plagued the township this year, and there are at least four more we are waiting to hear back on," said Sherrie Wolpert, Middlesex County Health Department liaison to East Brunswick.

The crows have been found scattered throughout the community, so officials are not concerned with a cluster or epidemic problem at this time, Papi said.

"The majority of crows, at least 11, were retrieved in Piscataway," said Papi. "So it is no surprise that some have migrated."

The disease cannot be transmitted via the infected birds, but rather only by infected female adult mosquitoes.

So far, spraying has occurred in Carteret, Perth Amboy, Edison, Woodbridge, Metuchen and South Plainfield; however, none is planned for East Brunswick as of this time.

Should the problem become worse, however, the Township Council may consider passing an ordinance modeled after one introduced in Old Bridge last week.

Such a law would penalize residents and business owners who fail to properly store tires and containers that can fill with stagnant water and become potential breeding areas for the mosquitoes.

Fines could reach as high as $1,000 for those in violation of the ordinance and more for repeat offenders.