No human cases reported so far
A municipal biologist examines a mosquito in Salt Lake City, Aug. 26, 2019.
AP File Photo
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Lauren Holder works for the Luzerne Conservation District.
A health notice update was posted by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on West Nile Virus detection in traps in the boroughs of West Pittston and Wyoming, according to Lauren Holder, Luzerne Conservation District conservation specialist.
Holder said the two positive samples detected in each borough were from mosquito traps, not from humans.
“We’ve detected West Nile every year since we’ve been placing traps since 2001, and we keep track of them, and if the numbers get higher, we will do truck-sprayer control,” Holden said. “We do have West Nile detections, and it happens every summer.”
DEP sets approximately 30 mosquito traps in and around Luzerne County each year to detect the West Nile Virus, beginning in late April or early May.
“The kind of mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus typically breed in population-dense areas where you can find standing water, such as bird baths, catch basins, wheelbarrows, and buckets that may be near a shed and are forgotten to be emptied, for example,” Holder said. “There might be standing water on a tarp or tires that have standing water collecting, even boats could be another spot where they could breed.”
Holden said the number detected in the two boroughs is extremely low, but it’s better to raise awareness of issues like standing water to prevent cases of West Nile. The key is to eliminate standing water.
She reiterated by saying to be aware of standing water, empty birdbaths, tires, flowerpot saucers, buckets, clogged gutters, and even baby pools for little children that have been in the yard for several days without being emptied.
Mosquitoes can breed in stagnant water in as little as four days.
For preventative measures, mosquitoes are active from dusk to dawn; it is best to use a repellent with at least 30% DEET to prevent bites and to wear long sleeves if possible.
“There is no urgency at this time; we just want to let people be aware and to encourage them to empty containers,” Holder added. “It’s something that happens every season, and it’s not a call to be concerned at this point.”
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