• For example, part of public health surveillance for West Nile virus (WNV) is testing birds for the pres- ence of the virus since birds often serve as the first indicator of the virus in a geographic region or in a season. In August of 2002, a state laboratory worker accidentally cut his finger while dissecting a bird to test for WNV. Four days later, this worker had symptoms of fever, myalgia, recurring sweats, and hot flashes. The worker and the bird he was working with were both eventually diagnosed with WNV. (3)
There were 2 lab-acquired cases of WNV in 2002.