West Nile Virus mosquito sample found in Cumberland County, first in 2022

A mosquito carrying the West Nile Virus was uncovered in Dickinson Township, which is the earliest a constructive mosquito sample was collected in Cumberland County in at minimum 4 years.

Pennsylvania Office of Environmental Defense officers notified county officers on Monday about the constructive mosquito sample it gathered. According to the department’s site, mosquitos carrying the virus have also been located in Bucks, Delaware, Lycoming, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties so far this yr.

Cumberland County experienced 96 good mosquito samples gathered last year with the initially a person collected on July 20, according to division info provided by county officers.

In 2020, the county experienced only 3 positive samples with the to start with becoming gathered on Aug. 28 that yr and in 2019, 10 good mosquito samples with the initially getting gathered on July 17.

To day, Cumberland County has carried out 59 mosquito regulate therapies which includes in Dickinson Township to cut down the inhabitants of these pests, said John Bitner, chief of Cumberland County’s vector manage business office.

“We will keep on to keep track of this area and employ mosquito handle in the course of the county when desired,” Bitner stated.

West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne illness that can bring about encephalitis, a brain inflammation and is commonly distribute by the chunk of a mosquito, according to the environmental safety section. This virus was 1st detected in North The us in 1999 and observed in Pennsylvania in 2000. Mosquitoes transmit the virus by feeding on inflected birds and then biting another hen, animal or human.

A single in five persons contaminated with this virus build a delicate an infection with indicators such as aches, fever, skin rash and swollen lymph nodes. With rest and fluids, most men and women recover in a handful of times. Less than 1% of infections produce into the life-threatening West Nile Encephalitis. Indications in significant scenarios involve a large fever, headache, neck stiffness, muscle mass weak point, disorientation, tremors, and convulsions. This an infection needs quick professional medical therapy.

The county suggests the adhering to to assist avoid the disease’s unfold by:

• Applying mosquito repellants, putting on longs sleeved shirts and trousers.
• Taking extra precautions all-around dusk, the peak of female mosquito feeding.
• Securing window and doors screens, so mosquitos can’t make it into your household.
• Doing away with stagnate h2o all around your home.
• Dealing with drinking water sources that can not be drained, mosquito dunks or bits that have Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), which kills larvae. These solutions are secure for use all around individuals, and animals and can be identified at components suppliers and other neighborhood retailers.

* This story has been updated to provide some historical details about constructive mosquito samples in Cumberland County.