Chickens do more than lay eggs and develop protein. Throughout California, 139 sentinel chicken flocks work hard to help ecologists and disease prevention specialists predict when human cases of West Nile Virus and St. Louis Encephalitis may occur. They’re sitting in coops throughout neighborhoods waiting to get bitten by mosquitoes. But, they don’t get sick from the diseases. Instead, they form antibodies that vector control officials can identify and let the public know of the risk of vector-borne disease.
Source: Press Enterprise, March 29, 2018.
But sentinel chickens, as they are called, are increasing losing favor. Within the last five years, vector control agencies in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties – as well as the San Gabriel Valley – have discontinued their programs. Officials sight high cost, too many hours put into keeping the chickens healthy and inconsistent results.
INSIGHTS: This is one example of a sentinel chicken program in operation. It is unknown how many there are in the U.S., but the AHD team uncovered more than a few. While helpful, their application is limited geographically. Public awareness campaigns about mosquitoes and the diseases they carry, are becoming now more effective than in the past at educating the public about lowering exposure to mosquitoes.