The Brown county Health Department says this is the first bird that tested positive for West Nile virus in Brown County since they started watching for the virus in May of this year.
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The department received confirmation that it was a case of West Nile virus August 27.
People can reduce their risk by using insect repellant, limiting time outdoors, covering up with long trousers and shirts and getting rid of standing water where mosquitoes can breed. Known “to bite aggressively near your feet and ankles during the day”, they are also relatives of the mosquito – Aedes Aegypti – that is transmitting the Zika virus.
People of any age can become seriously ill from West Nile, but those over 60 years old are at the greatest risk. The second adult mosquito that tested positive was located in the 4800 block of South Donnybrook Avenue, near Southside Park.
“It’s a minority of people, and most recover completely over time”, Bieluch said. The Saint Louis Encephalitis virus has also been found this year in Los Angeles, Riverside, Kern and San Bernardino counties, he added.
“These West Nile infections all occurred before the recent flooding”.
Results from Tyler mosquito samples that were recieved on July 19 and Aug.2 on the 1400th block of Kidd Drive by Tyler Mosquito Control yielded positive for the West Nile virus.
“While the risk of becoming infected with West Nile virus in Toronto remains low, we ask that residents take the proper precautions to protect themselves”, Dr. Howard Shapiro, Toronto’s acting medical officer of health said in the release.
The first human case for 2016 in Montgomery County was reported last week. No human cases of encephalitis have been reported. It is advisable to get rid of any standing water around your home (e.g., in flower pots, rainwater barrels, children’s toys, wading pools).
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When a patient begins to develop more severe symptoms, further testing is conducted and that’s when a West Nile infection can be clearly identified. Make sure that your doors and windows have tight-fitting screens to keep out mosquitoes.
