DENVER -- A dead magpie found near Franktown has been confirmed as the first bird to test positive for West Nile Virus in the Denver metro region.

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The bird was discovered on July 1 and the test results came back positive on July 8. There have been no reports of horse or human cases in Colorado to date but since Douglas county is an area with a lot of people and horses, some residents are worried.

West Nile Virus is spread by mosquitoes and most of its victims are horses, birds and people. So far this year in Colorado, it's only been detected in birds and mosquitoes in Larimer, El Paso, Fremont, Crowley and Pueblo counties. But on Wednesday, the Tri-County Health Department confirmed it's in Douglas county.

"Public health officials have been anticipating this, so it comes to no surprise that a positive bird has been found in the metro area," said Dr. Richard L. Vogt, the executive director of Tri-County Health Department.

Experts say do what you can to reduce your exposure to mosquitoes by eliminating any standing water in the area and by taking precautions against mosquito bites such as using mosquito repellant with DEET, avoiding outdoor activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active and wearing long sleeved shirts, long pants, shoes and socks.

This week, the government approved a new test to detect West Nile virus for humans. The old test took about two days plus another two weeks to get results because of the large number of people tested. But the new test only takes hours and results are available the same day. The new test detects antibodies to the West Nile Virus in the blood. Results must be confirmed by a follow-up test.