2 people died of West Nile virus in central Pennsylvania this year

Pennsylvania’s rain-forest summer has made for one of the worst outbreaks of West Nile virus in recent years.

Two people have died from the virus and another 39 are recovering from the illness, according to the state health and environmental protection agencies.

Only Philadelphia has had more human cases of West Nile virus than Franklin County this season.

Southcentral Pennsylvania has seen 14 confirmed human cases of West Nile virus – five in Franklin, four in Lebanon, four Lancaster and one in Dauphin county. The virus also triggered a lupus illness in York County.

Philadelphia has seen 11 of the state’s 41 potentially deadly cases.

A person in Lebanon County and another in Lancaster County have died from complications of the virus, according to Department of Health Press Secretary Nate Wardle.

Certain mosquito species carry the West Nile virus. Mosquitoes breed in wet conditions. Some adults need just a cap of water in which to produce larvae.

The wet summer has contributed to the severity of West Nile virus, according to Wardle.

According to the Department of Health, all residents in areas where virus activity has been identified are at risk of contracting West Nile encephalitis.

Most people bitten by a mosquito carrying West Nile virus do not notice any symptoms, Wardle said. Up to 20 percent of people will get symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, rash and swollen lymph glands. The symptoms typically last only a few days. For one in 150 people the mosquito bite can develop into a life-altering illness.

Late in the season mosquitoes increasingly seek out humans as birds migrate out of the area. The mosquito breeding season, and West Nile infections, continue until the first killing frost. The final tally, however, doesn’t come in until months later.

Pennsylvania has seen an exceptionally active year — with 4,370 mosquito samples testing positive for the virus.

At the height of the West Nile human infection in 2003, Pennsylvania had 237 human cases (including 9 deaths) and just 954 mosquito samples. The highest incidence since 2003 was 60 human cases with four deaths in 2012.

Previously, Franklin County’s most recent human case of West Nile was in 2014. The virus contributed to the death of an elderly resident in 2005.

Humans can contract West Nile encephalitis, an infection that can result in an inflammation of the brain.

Antibiotics are ineffective against a virus, so doctors can treat the symptoms, but the virus has to run its course, according to Dr. Stephen Prescott, president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

“It’s most dangerous for the very young and very old or people with compromised immune systems, including lupus patients,” Prescott said.

Residents can eliminate habitat by getting rid of standing and stagnant water where mosquitoes lay eggs. Water can accumulate in potted plants and birdbaths, rain gutters, corrugated drain pipe and yard debris such as storage bins and children’s toys.

DEP and county partners are monitoring mosquito populations and spraying infected mosquito populations.

Use of commonly sold insect repellents, like those using DEET, Picaridin, or other EPA-registered repellents, can also cut down on mosquito bites and possible exposure to the virus. Long pants and sleeves are also an important way to cut down on possible exposure to mosquitoes.