West Nile virus season early; sentinel chicken case in Pasco County

Pasco County sentinel chickens flagged West Nile before school start, with a proactive two-week head start on treatments. Dry spring followed by heavy rain created hatch surge, mirroring South Walton conditions. No human cases yet, but dawn/dusk bite risk for kids at bus stops is a strong public messaging hook. Beaufort County, SC, has also increased trapping and truck treatments after WNV detection, providing an additional operational model. Reinforces value of sentinel surveillance and preemptive larviciding.