York County reports first human West Nile virus case of 2018

York County hasn’t endured a West Nile virus-related fatality in more than a decade, but that doesn’t mean it’s smart to be lackadaisical about battling against mosquitoes.

On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported York County’s first positive human case of West Nile virus for 2018, according to a news release.

Thomas Smith, the West Nile Virus program administrator at Penn State Extension – York County, said the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) prevents the release of details, including specific location, of the summer’s first positive human case.

While it’s not uncommon — a York Countian has tested positive every year since 2002, Smith said — there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of infection.

Smith said the three easiest tips are as follows:

1. Make sure you don’t have anything in and around your property that holds stagnant water. Items like tires, buckets, downspouts, etc., can collect and hold enough stagnant water to become a mosquito breeding ground.
2. If you’re going outdoors, wear insect repellent.
3. If you’re sitting on a deck or patio, set up an electric fan nearby because mosquitoes do not like wind or breeze.

Smith also said that mosquitoes carrying West Nile, generally known as a house mosquito or a Northern house mosquito, are only active during evening hours.

Other mosquitoes, like the Asian tiger mosquito, are active during the day and can be a major nuisance, Smith said, because they’re small and aggressive. But they do not carry the West Nile virus.

In addition to the one positive human in York County, Smith said there were also two positive tests in Franklin County, and another in Allegheny County on Wednesday.

Symptoms in humans are like a cold or flu, Smith said, with fever, headache, body ache, occasionally a mild skin rash. Generally most people recover even without diagnosis, but it can become more serious, developing into encephalitis (brain inflammation) that can be fatal.

The last fatal case in York County, Smith said, was in 2006.

Also in the release on Wednesday were more details about continued West Nile virus testing of mosquitoes in York County, which currently ranks first in the state with 291 positive samples.

Why? Smith says it’s because “people still aren’t cleaning up or maintaining swimming pools.”

Humans aren’t the only ones at risk. Pets, he said, are susceptible to heartworm disease through mosquito bites.

From July 31-Aug. 9, there were positive tests in various York County municipalities, with most in Springettsbury Township, Manchester Township and York City.

There were also positive samples collected in Windsor Township, Spring Garden Township, Conewago Township, East Prospect Borough, Lower Windsor Township, Penn Township and York Township.

Residents can report mosquito concerns through the