Mosquito Tests Positive For West Nile In Northeast Ohio

MADISON, OH - A pool of mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV) in Lake County. This likely means that mosquitoes carrying West Nile are present throughout the county, the Ohio Department of Health said Tuesday.

A pool of mosquitoes is a collection of 50 or so of the bugs. The grouping that tested positive for WNV was collected from a Madison trap site. The number of mosquitoes carrying the virus is likely to increase throughout the summer, the ODH said.

Here's the good news: the majority of people (about 80 percent) that are exposed to West Nile Virus will display no symptoms. Up to 20 percent of people will have cold or flu-like symptoms for a few days, including a fever, nausea, vomiting, headaches and body aches, swollen lymph glands and a rash on their back, chest or stomach.

The bad news: about one in 150 people will experience more severe symptoms if they are exposed to West Nile. Those unlucky few may experience paralysis, a stiff neck, high fevers, convulsions, disorientation, tremors, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.

"Death from infection with WNV is 10 percent for those diagnosed with severe illness, but is much higher for patients diagnosed with WNV encephalitis and acute flaccid paralysis," the Ohio Department of Health said in a press release.

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