We received a press release from the Health department today. Sadly, Columbus has it’s first case of West Nile virus. There will be spraying on the far northern edge of the Clintonville area, the north University District and a few other areas. Here is the basic information received for the Clintonville area:
The first human case of West Nile has been reported in a Columbus resident. The 77-year-old female is currently hospitalized. She does not live in Clintonville.
The primary way to contract the West Nile virus is through the bite of an infected mosquito. Most infected people do not have any symptoms. About one in five people who become infected develop a fever with other symptoms such as a headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash.
In addition, a positive mosquito pool for West Nile Virus (WNV) was collected from a trap located at Beechwold Church. The mosquito pool tested from this location was confirmed WNV+, by the Ohio Department of Health on September 14th. Due to this positive West Nile Virus mosquito pool, our Vector Control Program will be spraying in Clintonville on Wednesday, September 20th from 3:30 am-7:15 am, weather permitting.
The boundary for the spray on September 20th is as follows:
Chase Road and Broad Meadows Blvd.to the North
Morse Road and Rathbone Ave. to the South
Indianola Ave. to the East
SR 315 to the West
The positive West Nile Virus pools and now the human case do serve as a reminder for us to continue protecting ourselves from mosquito bites and to eliminate stagnant water from our properties including places such as gutters, rain barrels, and bird baths. One can also protect themselves from mosquito bites by using insect repellents and by minimizing their time spent outside during the late evening and early morning hours. Please let Ryan Younge, RS, the Vector Control Program Manager, know if you would like to discuss in further detail our mosquito reduction activities planned in Clintonville this week. His e-mail address is rtyounge@columbus.gov and his phone number is 614.645.6153.
