2 Mosquitoes Test Positive For West Nile Virus In Springfield

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA — The state's latest rounds of testing for West Nile Virus has found 16 positive mosquito samples around Montgomery County, including two in Springfield.

Tests executed on July 31 and Aug. 2 found the positives in seven different communities, including:

• Montgomery - Abington Twp (2)
• Montgomery - Collegeville Borough (3)
• Montgomery - Douglass Twp (2)
• Montgomery - Lower Moreland Twp
• Montgomery - Springfield Twp (2)
• Montgomery - Pottstown Borough (2)
• Montgomery - Whitemarsh Twp (4)

Officials have not yet announced any spraying response for these areas. Lower Moreland's Aug. 1 spraying was announced before the latest results were published.

The exact location of each positive sample was not revealed by state authorities, who release the findings of samples each week day during the summer.

While the risk of being infected with West Nile from a mosquito is very low, officials urge residents to take precautions, like using repellent and removing standing water from their property.

The first human positive sample of 2018 in Pennsylvania was found in Allegheny County on July 31. There have been a small handful of cases in the state over the past few years.

West Nile virus appeared for the first time in Pennsylvania in birds, mosquitoes and a horse in 2000.

It is most commonly spread to humans by infected mosquitoes. It can cause febrile illness, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord), according to the CDC.

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