West Nile activity highest since ’12
Officials urging Ohioans to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
With higher-than-usual levels of West Nile virus cases in mosquitoes, health officials are urging people to take preventative measures.
On Friday, Clark County health officials also found the virus present when testing mosquitoes in Springfield.
Mosquito samples collected in two locations in Miami County have tested positive for the virus and the virus was also detected in a sample in Greene County, officials from the two counties said.
“West Nile virus activity in mosquitoes is the highest Ohio has seen this early in the season since 2012 when we reported 122 human cases for the year,” said Sietske de Fijter, state epidemiologist with the Ohio Department of Health, following the first human case of the season reported in late July in northeastern Ohio.
The virus, spread through mosquito bites, spreads in Ohio each year. People are most at risk of getting the virus summer through early fall, with most symptoms reported late July through early October.
De Fijter said the department is encouraging Ohioans to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites, including eliminating potential breeding sites around their homes.
There have been two cases of West Nile virus detected in humans in the state. Those cases were in Lake and Ross counties. There have also been 1,078 mosquitoes found positive for the virus this season, as of Aug. 6, when the latest state data was updated.
In 2017, there were 34 cases detected in humans and five deaths in the state.
Most people infected with the virus do not develop any symptoms. Up to 20 percent will have symptoms that can last a few days or as long as several weeks. About one in 150 infected with the virus will develop severe illness.
Symptoms of the virus include, headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea or rash, according to health officials. Some severe illness symptoms can include high fever, vision loss, numbness, disorientation or muscle weakness.
Miami County Public Health commissioner Dennis Propes said since there were no positive mosquito tests in the county last year “the West Nile is definitely more signif- icant than it was last year.”
He added that the state overall is experiencing and uptick. He said the positive mosquitoes were tested from mosquito pools near several parks in the county, but that is because the parks are where officials haveeasy pub- lic access to test. The tests don’t indicate a concentra- tion near the parks and people should take precautions against bites in any area.
“The West Nile virus is endemic in Ohio. It’s not going anywhere. We will always test for it,” he said.
In Clark County, the health department is working with property owners to reduce breeding sources by draining stagnant water or using products that are safe for pets and humans but treat stagnant water so it’s not a breeding source.
The health department will also be misting affected areas and distributing flyers in the affected area.
Dan Suffoletto, spokesman for Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County, said the department “has been observing an increase in the numberof mosquitoes being trapped that are testing pos- itive for the West Nile virus.”
“This dramatic increase in levels means that there is a greater chance of someone being bitten by a mosquito that is carryingthe disease,” he said.
The department advises that when outdoors, peo- ple should t ake prec au- tions against being bitten by mosquitoes, including using EPA-approved mosquito repellent containing DEET, wearing light-colored clothes with long sleeves, and removing standing water from your yard.