Traps show West Nile Virus in Centerville, Trotwood and Washington Twp.

In rare cases, around 1 out of every 150 infected people may develop a severe, potentially fatal illness.

Credit: Lisa Powell

Credit: Lisa Powell

Mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile virus this week in traps set in three Dayton area communities finds Public Health-Dayton & Montgomery County working to raise greater awareness of the disease.

WNV is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States, said Public-Health spokesman Dan Suffoleto, citing Centers for Disease Control & Prevention statistics. Cases of WNV occur during mosquito season, which starts in the summer and continues through fall.

Symptoms of West Nile include body aches, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, headaches, joint pain, rash and vomiting.

There are no vaccines available to prevent or medications to treat WNV in humans, according to the CDC. The good news is that most people who become infected with WNV don’t experience any symptoms. However, approximately 1 in 5 infected people may develop a fever and other symptoms.

In rare cases, around 1 out of every 150 infected people may develop a severe, potentially fatal illness.

Public Health sets traps weekly throughout Montgomery County to identify mosquitoes carrying WNV, according to spokesman Dan Suffoleto.

“Locations are chosen so there are a variety of areas where mosquitos are more likely to be present and where the public is more likely to encounter them,” Suffoleto told this news outlet Friday. “Many locations include area parks. Regardless of where traps are set, mosquitos that carry West Nile are seen widely throughout Ohio.”

Traps this week turned up mosquitoes that tested positive in Centerville, Trotwood and Washington Twp.

Suffoleto said there have been five positive pools in 2023 so far and five positive pools in 2022. Testing is done by the Ohio Department of Health, he said.

Pools are the groups of mosquitos from the trap that Public Health sends to ODH for identification, Suffoleto said.

Some mosquitoes are harmful and can spread viruses like West Nile, dengue, Zika, and parasites like malaria, according to the CDC.

There have been no confirmed/probable human cases of WNV in Montgomery County this year as of Friday, Suffoleto said. Cases of WNV in people fluctuated over the past five years, include three in 2018, none in 2019, 1 each in 2020 and 2021 and three in 2022, he said.

Public Health was scheduled to spray Duet, an adulticide mosquito control product, in 18 areas in Centerville and Washington Twp. Friday.

Trotwood is spraying and treating Madison Park, 301 S. Broadway St., this week after Public Health notified city officials that mosquito samples at the park tested positive for the virus.

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