By Kathianne Boniello
The battle lines have been drawn between the city and its invisible enemy for almost a year, and now the West Nile virus has fired the first shot of 2000, showing up in two dead crows on Staten Island earlier this month, the city Health Department said Monday.
The discovery of the virus in two dead birds found July 5 and July 6 marked its first appearance in any of the five boroughs this year. Several dead birds with the virus have been discovered in surrounding areas, including Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland counties.
The Health Department kept stressing the importance of prevention as several representatives of the agency reported Tuesday to Queens Borough President Claire Shulman on the status of the environmental impact statement for the department
