West Nile virus present in county
The West Nile virus has been detected in the county this week, according to officials in the Mercer County Conservation District.
According to Zoe Heckathorn, vector management coordinator, the district is based in Mercer County but also monitors Crawford and Butler counties.
“We set traps weekly in different areas around the counties, just looking for mosquitoes and then we send them off to a lab to get tested,” she said. “This is the second sample that has come back positive for the year in Zelienople.”
The first positive sample was reported at the end of August, according to Heckathorn, with the second sample highlighting a “definite risk” in the region.
“But I will say that there’s multiple positives throughout the year — mostly in the summer — throughout the state, but I don’t think there have been any human cases reported across the state,” she said. “So that kind of gives you an idea of the risk of it.”
Heckathorn did warn, however, that the virus posed significant risk to the elderly and the immunocompromised.
“We always recommend taking precautions and being proactive,” she said.
Those precautions include using bug spray, wearing long-sleeve shirts and avoiding outdoor activities at dusk and dawn.
“And making sure your house is bug-tight, per se — your screens and things like that,” she said. “If you’re inevitably outside, as people do, having a fire or having fans can help — because they’re not very good fliers.”
Heckathorn also advised residents to eliminate habitats for mosquitoes in the region.
“You can do your part by cleaning up debris in your backyard, flipping over bird baths, getting rid of tires,” she said. “If you’re worried about this, then that is something you can do to kind of reduce your risk at home.”
Symptoms of West Nile virus are consistent with most viral infections according to Heckathorn.
“It’s usually a nauseous fever, maybe a headache,” she said. “Sometimes people will get a rash or their lymph nodes will kind of swell up.”
Anyone who suspects they may have come in contact with the virus should talk to their health care provider, Heckathorn said.
“With West Nile, 80% of people do not show symptoms, so you could have it and you may not know,” she said. “But if you tell them the history, ‘I got this bug bite and I didn’t feel great afterward,’ and you live in an area where West Nile virus is prevalent, that might be something to bring up.”
And Heckathorn noted that the county was not the only one in the state affected by the virus.
“All three of our counties have tested positive at different areas,” she said. “So it’s not just a Zelienople issue.”
For more information on the virus, Heckathorn recommended the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s website.
“We’ve been testing, and the hope is that sometime this week we’ll be able to go out — it’s weather-dependent,” she said. “We’ll go out to where the area is and hopefully treat the area, reduce the mosquito population and then continue to monitor.”
