12 birds now found with West Nile virus in Georgia this year

ATLANTA - A dozen birds have been found with West Nile virus this year in Georgia, but so far no people in the state have been infected. <br> <br> The Georgia Division of Public Health said Tuesday that two birds each tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus in Effingham and Newton counties. <br> <br> Other infected birds have been found in Banks, Carroll, Chatham, Fulton, Henry, Irwin, Liberty and Whitfield counties. <br> <br> A Tift County horse tested positive for the virus last month. <br> <br> The virus is passed to humans by infected mosquitoes that have bitten diseased birds, the virus&#39; host animal. <br> <br> Monday, officials announced that a South Carolina man was the first person in the country to be infected by the virus this year. The virus has been found in animals in 28 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <br> <br> In 2002, Georgia had 43 human cases of the virus and seven deaths from it.