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Veterinary Public Health

West Nile Virus in Local Birds
 West Nile Virus (WNV) is currently being found in dead birds in multiple parts of the county.  The first dead bird to test positive in our county this year was on April 26, 2008.  A notable increase in WNV in birds began in mid-to-late May, approximately two months earlier than the season began in 2007.  Veterinary Public Health works with the California Department of Public Health and local mosquito control agencies in conducting West Nile Virus surveillance in Los Angeles County.  Reports of dead birds and dead tree squirrels are taken, and samples appropriate for testing are collected. Click on map icon at right to see the most recent map. (Last updated 7/10/08)
To report dead birds or dead tree squirrels click here.
It's a Turtle—Not a Toy!
You buy a little green turtle with red jellybean patches behind its eyes, a cute plastic lagoon bowl with a little palm tree, and a little turtle food in a box or bag. Maybe you are told that the turtle will grow to fit the bowl and live its life there; maybe that is what you think—after all, the turtle is so small. It is so cute. So trouble-free. An ideal pet for you, your child, your family? Red-eared sliders can live up to thirty years. Only individuals willing to commit time, energy and money should consider a turtle for a pet.

Click here for full color handout or here for black and white version

Click here for more information

Click here for the latest Animal Health Alert (2/1/08)

Rabies in L.A. County
The first rabid animal diagnosed in Los Angeles County occurred in 1898 when an Englishman told the Health Officer his dog, which was uncontrollable, might have rabies. Confirmatory tests were run in Chicago. The following year, a man who was bitten on his nose by his rabid cocker spaniel became the first known human rabies death in the County.

In June of 1909, a police officer shot a collie dog with rabies. Within a month, the police officer shot three more suspected rabid dogs found within five blocks of the original dog. That year, another muzzling ordinance was passed the same month by the board of health...more
Rabies-Positive Brain Sample
Rabies-positive brain sample. Photo is taken through a fluorescent microscope. The brain sample from the rabid animal was prepared on glass slides, incubated with fluorescent antibodies that attach to the virus, and then viewed through the microscope. The rabies virus is seen as small fluorescent clusters throughout the sample. Photo Courtesy Los Angeles County Public Health Laboratory, 2007.
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