West Nile Virus is confirmed in region

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.comTimes Leader Staff Writer

The number of confirmed West Nile Virus positives are already well ahead of last year’s pace in Luzerne County.

A CLOSER LOOKWest Nile Virus, named for the region in Uganda where it first appeared in 1937, infects birds, which are bitten by mosquitoes, which in turn bite people and mammals. It had never been seen in the Western Hemisphere until 62 people became seriously ill and seven died in New York in 1999.

And Monday’s heavy rains, which are likely to be followed by temperatures back into the 80s and 90s later this week, could compound the issue. 

A trio of mosquitoes found in Luzerne County this month has tested positive for the West Nile Virus, including one found in Wilkes-Barre this past week, one found in Hanover Township on July 6 and one in Plains Township on the same date.

By comparison, last year’s first positive in the county wasn’t reported until Aug. 4.

According to the state , 121 total positives have been reported in 28 of the state’s 67 counties. Wyoming and Luzerne are the only two in Northeast Pennsylvania. The southeast and south central parts of the state have been the hardest hit.

The Wyoming County positive occurred June 29 in Meshoppen Township and was the first positive in that county since 2008.

Kevin Sunday, a DEP spokesman, said “we’re not seeing more (positives) statistically, but we are seeing it spread over a broader geographic swath. That’s a result of the heavy rains (this spring and early summer).”

A wet spring and, up until Monday, a relative dry July, have created a perfect breeding and egg-laying situation for mosquitoes.

Traditionally, the positives begin to increase in August and September and will register into October, Sunday said.

Most people don’t get sick from contracting West Nile encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, he added. Those who do become infected can experience a fever, rash, headache, meningitis, encephalitis or death.

Older adults and people with lower functioning immune systems are the most susceptible to developing the disease, including those with HIV, a recent organ transplant or someone who’s undergoing chemotherapy.

A National Weather Service weather spotter in Harveys Lake reported 2 inches of rainfall Monday. That comes days after a stretch of days that set, tied or came close to tying, record highs throughout Northeast Pennsylvania as sweltering heat, with high humidity, made outdoor activities unbearable.

Sunday said the rainfall itself will not necessarily lead to increased positives, but he urged people to make sure there was no standing water on their property, including in old tires, pools or buckets. Those are prime grounds for mosquitoes to breed and lay eggs.

The virus has been found in mosquito samples in Luzerne County in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2007 there were no positives reported locally.

The state began monitoring for the virus in 2000. The record high was registered in 2002, when 46 positives were reported.

The specific locations of where the mosquitoes that tested positive in Luzerne County were not released by Sunday. He directed inquiries to the county Conservation District in Dallas. A message left there was not returned Monday afternoon.