Ongoing mosquito surveillance has identified West Nile Virus among a pool of mosquitoes in Hamilton County.
The West Nile Virus-positive mosquito pool came from Sector 5, which includes zip codes 37302; 37315; 37353; 37363, south of I-75; 37412; and 37421, according to a news release from the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department.
West Nile Virus is spread by the bites of mosquito, who can get the virus from biting an infected bird. Mosquito season continues through the end of October, declining as temperatures drop.
No human cases have been identified in Hamilton County this year, according to the release.
In early August the season’s only other positive mosquito pool was detected, in Sector 4, which includes zip codes 37350, 37402, 37403 37404, 37406, 37407, 37408, 37409, 37410, 37411, 37419 and 37450.
Bonnie Deakins, director of environmental health services at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department, said that residents of Hamilton County should continue to apply mosquito repellent and get rid of standing water on their property to give mosquitos fewer places to lay their eggs.
Most people infected with West Nile Virus will have no symptoms but some develop serious symptoms including high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma and paralysis.
TO REPORT POSSIBLE WEST NILE CASES
Health officials ask that local residents report dead crows, blue jays or robin in areas other than Sector 4 or 5, and report mosquito-breeding areas. Call Environmental Health Services at the Health Department at 209-8110. Call the mosquito hotline at 209-8117 to request spraying.
TIPS TO REDUCE MOSQUITO HABITATS
* Tip out barrels, buckets, wheelbarrows, and children’s wading pools.
* Change water in birdbaths and animal bowls at least once a week .
* Get rid of used tires or drill holes in them for draining.
* Clean garden ponds.
* Recycle old bottles, buckets and cans.
* Clean leaf-clogged gutters .
* Empty water from flower pot dishes and saucers.
* Dump water off of tarps and plastic sheeting .
* Repair leaky outdoor faucets .
* Cover rain barrels with mosquito screens.
Health care reporter Emily Bregel has worked at the Chattanooga Times Free Press since July 2006. She previously covered banking and wrote for the Life section. Emily, a native of Baltimore, Md., earned a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Columbia University. She received a first-place award for feature writing from the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists’ Golden Press Card Contest for a 2009 article about a boy with a congenital heart defect. She ...
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