THE WAY. WEST NILE VIRUS HAS BEEN DETECTED IN CINCINNATI. NOT THE NEWS WE WANT TO HEAR, BUT YOU’VE GOT TO STAY SAFE. THE CINCINNATI HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCED THIS MORNING THAT THEY FOUND MOSQUITOES THAT TESTED POSITIVE FOR THE VIRUS. THEY SAY THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT MOSQUITOES FROM BREEDING NEAR YOUR HOME. YOU WANT TO AVOID STANDING WATER FROM SITTING IN THINGS THAT CAN COLLECT IT, LIKE FLOWERPOTS, MAYBE TIRES NEARBY. ALSO, REGULARLY REPLACE WATER AND BIRD BATHS AND OUTDOOR PET DISHES EVERY WEEK. KEEP POOLS CIRCA LATE AND CLEAN, AND ALSO MAY BE A PAIN, BUT CLEAN OUT THOSE GUTTERS AS WELL.
Health Department: West Nile virus detected in Cincinnati through mosquito sample
Updated: 12:23 PM EDT Jul 10, 2023
The West Nile virus has been detected in mosquitoes in Cincinnati area, according to health officials.The Cincinnati Health Department said through their regular and ongoing surveillance for mosquito-borne diseases, they collected a mosquito sample in the Cincinnati area that has tested positive for the West Nile virus.“Whenever we find West Nile virus in our local mosquito population, we worry about transmission to humans. That is what we want to prevent,” Grant Mussman, M.D., MHSA, Cincinnati Health Department Commissioner said in a statement. “We want to encourage Cincinnati area residents to take some simple precautionary measures to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbors.”Health officials recommend the following preventive measures:Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are active (especially late afternoon, dusk to dawn, and early morning);Apply an EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol to clothes and exposed skin;Cover exposed skin by wearing a hat, long sleeves and long pants in places where mosquitoes are especially active, such as wooded areas;Install or repair screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out of the home.There are several things that can be done to help prevent mosquitoes from breeding near homes and to protect people from mosquito bites. Eliminate sources of standing water in your yard, such as saucers under flowerpots, children’s toys, wheelbarrows, boats, tires, puddles, etc.Replace water in bird baths and outdoor pet dishes at least every week to help eliminate stagnant water.Keep the swimming pool circulating, clean and chlorinated, and remove any water that collects on the swimming pool cover.Empty out and turn over plastic wading pools or kiddie pools when not in use.Keep gutters clean to prevent standing water.For questions or more information regarding West Nile virus or mosquitoes, contact the Cincinnati Health Department’s Technical Environmental Services Unit at 513-352-2922.
The West Nile virus has been detected in mosquitoes in Cincinnati area, according to health officials.
The Cincinnati Health Department said through their regular and ongoing surveillance for mosquito-borne diseases, they collected a mosquito sample in the Cincinnati area that has tested positive for the West Nile virus.
“Whenever we find West Nile virus in our local mosquito population, we worry about transmission to humans. That is what we want to prevent,” Grant Mussman, M.D., MHSA, Cincinnati Health Department Commissioner said in a statement. “We want to encourage Cincinnati area residents to take some simple precautionary measures to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbors.”
Health officials recommend the following preventive measures:
- Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are active (especially late afternoon, dusk to dawn, and early morning);
- Apply an EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol to clothes and exposed skin;
- Cover exposed skin by wearing a hat, long sleeves and long pants in places where mosquitoes are especially active, such as wooded areas;
- Install or repair screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out of the home.
There are several things that can be done to help prevent mosquitoes from breeding near homes and to protect people from mosquito bites.
- Eliminate sources of standing water in your yard, such as saucers under flowerpots, children’s toys, wheelbarrows, boats, tires, puddles, etc.
- Replace water in bird baths and outdoor pet dishes at least every week to help eliminate stagnant water.
- Keep the swimming pool circulating, clean and chlorinated, and remove any water that collects on the swimming pool cover.
- Empty out and turn over plastic wading pools or kiddie pools when not in use.
- Keep gutters clean to prevent standing water.
For questions or more information regarding West Nile virus or mosquitoes, contact the Cincinnati Health Department’s Technical Environmental Services Unit at 513-352-2922.
