Georgia confirms year's first bird case of West Nile virus

ATLANTA - State officials announced Wednesday that Georgia&#39;s first bird case of the West Nile virus has been confirmed, months earlier than last year&#39;s initial activity. <br> <br> Doctor Susan Lance-Parker, an infectious disease epidemiologist with the division, says the dead bird was found January 6 in Liberty County. Last year, the first bird case in Georgia was found in the spring. <br> <br> Parker said the finding is ``just further evidence that we likely have (West Nile virus) transmission year-round in the southern part of the state.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> State health officials say it is difficult to predict whether this season&#39;s virus activity will be greater than last year. <br> <br> In 2002, Georgia had 43 human cases of the virus and seven deaths from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <br> <br> State officials are working to increase mosquito surveillance for the virus across the state and increase educational campaigns on the virus. It&#39;s passed to humans by infected mosquitoes that have bitten diseased birds, the virus&#39; host animal.