XENIA — Parts of the Miami Valley are seeing more and more cases of West Nile Virus, and even a human case has been detected. Now, public health officials are monitoring for mosquitoes.
News Center 7’s Ava Petrosky spoke with public health officials about ways people can protect themselves and their families.
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Laurie Fox, Public Information Officer for Greene County Public Health, said, “We’ve identified 5,883 mosquitoes.” She continued, “We’ve found 14 pools that have tested positive for West Nile Virus.”
Fox said that is about 9.2% of all the mosquitoes tested in Greene County. A mosquito pool is a group of mosquitoes trapped for testing.
Mosquitoes are typically found in areas with standing water, which can be shallow. They can breed in something as small as a bottle cap.
Dan Suffoletto, Communications Manager with Public Health – Dayton and Montgomery County, said, “Things like tires or buckets or potted plants. Things that hold water and just stagnate there. That’s where mosquitoes can breed very easily.”
Officials said mosquitoes won’t go away until the first freeze of the season. As of Thursday, Suffoletto said there are no reported human cases of West Nile in Montgomery County.
Fox said there are no confirmed human cases of West Nile in Greene County. However, last week, Miami County reported a positive human case in Tipp City.
“West Nile Virus can cause some very serious illness, particularly in older adults and people with certain health conditions. So, residents should take precautions to prevent mosquito bites,” Fox said.
About 80 percent of people who test positive for West Nile develop no symptoms. However, public health officials advise people to take proper precautions.
“Any kind of trash, anything that can collect any amount of water, you want to dump it,” Fox said.
This is all to reduce the risk of getting a mosquito bite. Officials told News Center 7 that they will continue to spray and monitor the virus.
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