West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis have been detected in Eastern Carolina. West Nile Virus was discovered in Beaufort and Craven Counties, while Eastern Equine Encephalitis was found in Carteret County.
The diseases were found in sentinel chickens, which are sort of like test subjects. When the chickens test positive, that means the diseases are being carried around by mosquitoes that have bitten the birds. Pitt County does not have any sentinel chickens, but experts say there's a good bet it is also impacted by West Nile and Eastern Equine Encephalitis because it lies between Beaufort and Craven Counties. To learn more about mosquito-borne illnesses and how to fight them, just click on the following website: