PA's First 2018 West Nile Virus Case Reported Near Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, PA - Pennsylvania’s first probable human case of the West Nile Virus in 2018 and mosquitoes testing positive for the infection in Pittsburgh and several of its suburbs, health officials will begin treating those areas with a mosquito pesticide.

The Allegheny County Health Department will spray Zenivex E20 on Wednesday in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze and Homewood neighborhoods and suburban Wilkinsburg and Penn Hills, where the first human case was reported. The afflicted manis in his early 70s and was bitten in mid-July by a West Nile virus-carrying Culex mosquito, health department officials said.

The pesticide used will be be distributed via a truck-mounted, ultra-low volume spray during the evening hours. The chemical kills adult mosquitoes but is not harmful to people or pets.

There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat the virus in humans but most people infected with it do not have symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms. About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.

The risk of West Nile Virus can be reduced by using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants to prevent mosquito bites.

The following is a list of the latest human,, mosquito andbird test positives provided by the state Department of Health:

Human Case - (1)
• Allegheny

Mosquito Positives - (62)
• Adams - Gettysburg Boro
• Adams - Hamilton Twp
• Allegheny - Pittsburgh City (3)
• Berks - Cumru Twp
• Berks - Muhlenberg Twp
• Berks - Reading City (3)
• Berks - Shillington Boro
• Berks - Spring Twp
• Berks - Wyomissing Boro
• Berks -
• Bucks - Upper Southampton Twp
• Cambria - Johnstown City
• Chester - Birmingham Twp
• Chester - East Marlborough Twp
• Chester - East Vincent Twp (2)
• Chester - Kennett Twp
• Chester - North Coventry Twp (2)
• Chester - Pennsbury Twp (2)
• Chester - Spring City Boro
• Chester - Thornbury Twp
• Dauphin - Dauphin Boro
• Greene - Perry Twp
• Lehigh - Lower Macungie Twp (2)
• Lehigh - Upper Saucon Twp
• Monroe - Barrett Twp
• Monroe - Stroudsburg Boro (2)
• Montgomery - Collegeville Boro (2)
• Montgomery - Douglass Twp (2)
• Montgomery - Pottstown Boro (2)
• Montgomery - Springfield Twp
• Montgomery - Whitemarsh Twp (4)
• Northampton - East Allen Twp
• Northampton - Wilson Boro
• York - Conewago Twp (2)
• York - Dover Boro
• York - East Manchester Twp
• York - Hanover Boro
• York - Hellam Twp
• York - Lower Windsor Twp
• York - Manchester Twp (4)
• York - Springettsbury Twp (3)

Avian Positives - (10)
• Bedford - Colerain Twp - American Crow
• Blair - Frankstown Twp - American Crow
• Blair - Hollidaysburg Boro - Blue Jay
• Centre - Huston Twp - American Crow
• Clearfield - Boggs Twp (2) - Broad-winged Hawk, Great Horned Owl
• Erie - Erie City - American Crow
• Huntingdon - Spruce Creek Twp - Great Horned Owl
• Indiana - Pine Twp - Great Horned Owl
• McKean - Bradford Twp - Great Horned Owl

Photo via Shutterstock.

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