A dead crow found on the parking lot of a Dyersburg church has tested positive for the West Nile Virus.

W.D. Hilliard of the Dyer County Health Department said he received a report on the test results late Thursday. He announced the findings Friday during a meeting of health and emergency officials at the health department.

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The crow had been discovered July 29 at West Dyersburg Church of Christ. Since that time, the Dyer County Health Department has received more than 300 phone calls about dead birds, Hilliard said.

The local health department has sent a total of 20 dead crows and blue jays to the state lab for testing this summer. Hilliard said he's still awaiting test results on 16 of them.

With reports of human victims in Louisiana and the presence of infected birds in Tipton and Haywood counties, some people have nearly panicked. Hilliard said one woman spotted a dead bird in her yard and refused to step outside her home.

People don't contract West Nile Virus from dead birds. The virus is spread by mosquitoes that feed on infected animals and then bite humans.

"Even in areas where mosquitoes do carry the virus, very few mosquitoes - much less than one percent - are infected," the state health department announced on its West Nile Virus Web site: http://www2.state.tn.us/health/CEDS/wnvh.... "If the mosquito is infected, less than one percent of people who get bitten and become infected will get severely ill. The chances you will become severely ill from a mosquito bite are extremely small."

Still, Dyersburg's streets department stepped up its mosquito-control efforts this past week and asked local businesses to eliminate any standing water on their properties.

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The Dyersburg Office of Emergency Services organized Friday's meeting between city officials, health department employees and the American Red Cross.

Tommy Gibbons, the city's coordinator of emergency services, said city officials realized they needed to take a leadership role when they saw how widespread the virus has become.

Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia have reported the presence of West Nile Virus in birds, horses or mosquitoes. Human infections have been reported in Illinois, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama this summer.

This year's spread of the West Nile Virus is happening right on schedule, Dr. Jimmy Noonan, Dyer County Health Officer, said. Health officials had predicted the virus's growth last year.

Dyersburg Street Superintendent L.C. Wilson said city crews are spraying insecticides throughout the city and are treating standing water in city ditches.

Anyone who believes his neighborhood needs additional treatment should call the city's public works department at 288-7630.

While the city's efforts are good, Wilson noted that city crews can't go on private property.

Those attending the meeting agreed that residents should be asked to drain any standing water on their properties, including flower pot saucers and tarps that may have collected rainwater. Chlorine levels in swimming pools, hot tubs and saunas should be high enough to prevent mosquito larvae from surviving. Landowners with ponds should use larvicides, and persons with birdbaths should change the water frequently.

Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. When the eggs hatch, larvae emerge. The larvae live and feed in the water and eventually develop into the pupa. Full-grown mosquitoes emerge from the pupa and leave the water. While only a few people will become sick from mosquito bites, determining whether they've been infected with the West Nile Virus won't be easy.

Medical personnel have been instructed to test only those patients who seem to have advanced infections.

The Tennessee health department reported that the "vast majority of people that become infected with the WNV have no illness or experience only a mild flu-like illness that includes fever, headache and body aches lasting only a few days. Some persons may also have a mild rash or swollen lymph glands.

"Less than one percent of those infected may develop meningitis or encephalitis, the most severe forms of the disease, which occurs primarily in persons over 50 years of age. Symptoms of encephalitis or meningitis may include severe headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, paralysis, coma and sometimes, death."

Only patients who demonstrate nervous system symptoms, such as confusion, disorientation and seizures, are being tested for the virus, Noonan said.

No specific treatment for the disease currently exists; but scientists are trying to develop a vaccine for humans. A vaccine already exists for horses. While many birds may become infected with West Nile Virus, the state health department is accepting only freshly dead crows and blue jays for testing.

Hilliard said he can take only those birds that have been dead for less than 24 hours. Decayed birds cannot be tested, he said. One way to estimate the time lapse is to check the dead bird's eyes. If they're still there, the bird probably died a short time before.

People who find dead birds usually call before bringing the birds to the health department. Hilliard said he saves some people a trip to the health department by asking them to describe the bird. If they don't match the description of crows or blue jays, there's no reason to bring them in.

Health department descriptions of the birds are as follows:

* Adult crows are about 17 to 21 inches in length, while juvenile crows are about 10 inches in length, or about the length of a person's forearm. Juvenile crows have brownish-black feathers. Crows are all black including feathers, beak, legs and feet. The crow's nostrils are covered with bristles.

* Blue jays are 10 inches long, and have a black sturdy bill, and blue crest. They have a black eye line and breast band and a grayish-white throat and under parts. The wings are bright blue with black bars and white patches. Blue jays have a long, blue tail with black bars and white corners and dark legs.

Noonan said people are responding to the situation "almost like it is their patriotic duty to bring the birds in." Some people are very disappointed when the health department won't accept their birds. Sparrows, robins and black birds aren't being tested.

Persons who find freshly dead crows or blue jays should place a plastic bag over their hands, pick up the dead bird and wrap the plastic bag around the bird. Seal the bag and place it in a freezer until the bird can be delivered to the health department for testing. The cold temperatures will halt the decay.

Hilliard has been surprised by the response he's encountered the last two weeks. He said he hasn't been able to do anything but respond to calls and deliver birds to the state lab in Jackson.

Interestingly, Hilliard said most of his calls come from a few general areas, mostly inside the Dyersburg city limits. He said he's received only two calls from Lake Luana, a few from Lenox and none at all from Lakewood, Finley or Bogota. He said he had expected more calls from subdivisions built around lakes.

Noonan said he doubts the location of dead birds is truly significant. After all, birds are very mobile.