NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The Virginia Zoo says three cassowary chicks have died due to a mosquito-borne viral infection.
The chicks were 28 days old and succumbed to Eastern Equine Encephalitis. Zoo officials say they died on July 17.
One of the parent birds has also died, but officials say test results have not been completed.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis can be fatal in both humans and animals. The Norfolk Department of Public Health has reported no positive tests for the virus in any of its mosquito pools or sentinel chickens in Norfolk.
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