Metro Atlanta birds test positive for West Nile virus

ATLANTA - Officials said Thursday that a total of five birds have tested positive for West Nile virus in two metro Atlanta counties. <br> <br> Four birds were found in Fulton County and another in Cobb County. <br> <br> In Fulton County, three blue jays and a crow were found in northeast and southwest Atlanta. A fifth bird was found July 31 near the Cobb County Civic Center. <br> <br> Officials are increasing mosquito-control efforts in the areas, since the virus is spread from mosquitoes to birds. <br> <br> Murl McCall, director of the Cobb Board Center for Environmental Health, said the county would consider spraying only if a human case occurred. So far this year, no human cases of the mosquito-borne virus have been reported in Georgia.