The Morgan County Health Department has confirmed a batch of mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile Virus.
The Health Department’s Environmental Health staff collected the positive batch yesterday as a part of their annual monitoring program.
West Nile Virus is contracted through the bite of house mosquitoes that has picked up on the virus by feeding on an infected bird.
Common symptoms include fever, nausea, headache, and muscle aches. Symptoms may last from a few days to a few weeks. Most people infected with the virus will be asymptomatic. However, in rare cares, severe illness including meningitis, encephalitis, and death can occur. The elderly and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe illness with West Nile.
The Morgan County Health Department encourages people to fight the bite by practicing the R’s of reduce, repel, report.