SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) \u2014 West Nile virus has been detected in Lackawanna County for the 16th time this summer, as mosquito testing continues to repeatedly find the virus across the county.<\/p>\n
Four more mosquito samples collected August 31 tested positive for West Nile virus, according to Lackawanna County officials. The county was notified of the results September 8.<\/p>\n
The positive mosquitoes were collected at:<\/p>\n
East Corey Street at Walsh Court in ScrantonPalm Street at Crown Avenue in ScrantonEd Staback Memorial Park in ArchbaldThe 300 block of Jackson Street in Olyphant<\/p>\n
The latest results are significant because they are not an isolated detection. West Nile has now been detected 16 separate times in Lackawanna County this summer, indicating continued circulation of the virus in the local mosquito population.<\/p>\n
Despite the repeated positive mosquito tests, county officials said no human cases have been reported in Lackawanna County.<\/p>\n
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection currently rates statewide West Nile activity as \u201cvery high,\u201d meaning the virus is being found very frequently in mosquitoes collected across Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
What is West Nile virus?<\/p>\n
West Nile is primarily transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes generally acquire the virus after feeding on infected birds, allowing the virus to circulate between birds and mosquitoes throughout the summer and fall.<\/p>\n
Most people who become infected will never know it.<\/p>\n
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 80% of infected people develop no symptoms. About one in five develops an illness that can include fever, headache, body or joint aches, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash. Fatigue and weakness can sometimes persist for weeks or months.<\/p>\n
A much smaller percentage \u2014 less than 1% \u2014 develops serious neurological illness involving the brain or nervous system, including meningitis or encephalitis. Warning signs can include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, confusion, tremors, muscle weakness or paralysis.<\/p>\n
Severe West Nile disease can be fatal.<\/p>\n
Who is most at risk?<\/p>\n
Anyone bitten by an infected mosquito can contract West Nile, but the risk of developing serious illness increases with age.<\/p>\n
The CDC says older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at greater risk. Certain underlying conditions, including cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease, are also associated with an increased risk of severe illness.<\/p>\n
No specific treatment or human vaccine<\/p>\n
There is currently no specific antiviral medication to treat West Nile virus and no licensed vaccine for humans.<\/p>\n
People with mild illness generally recover with supportive care such as rest, fluids and medication to control fever and pain.<\/p>\n
Severe cases may require hospitalization, intravenous fluids, respiratory support and other supportive medical treatment.<\/p>\n
Reducing the risk<\/p>\n
Lackawanna County and DEP officials are continuing to monitor mosquito activity and are urging residents to reduce mosquito breeding areas around their homes.<\/p>\n
Standing water should be eliminated from buckets, flowerpots, tires and other containers. Water in birdbaths should be changed at least weekly, and swimming pools should be kept clean and properly chlorinated.<\/p>\n
The CDC also recommends using an EPA-registered mosquito repellent, wearing long sleeves and pants when practical and limiting exposure around dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes that commonly spread West Nile are most active.<\/p>\n
With 16 detections already recorded this summer and mosquito season continuing into the fall, officials are urging residents to continue taking precautions even though Lackawanna County has not reported a human infection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) \u2014 West Nile virus has been detected in Lackawanna County for the 16th time…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":282279,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[178,180,179],"class_list":["post-282278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}