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Hamilton County: West Nile mosquitoes found locally

By: Emily Bregel
(Contact)

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David Hunter

Local health officials are warning residents to protect themselves against bug bites and to rid their yards of standing water after a pool of mosquitoes in Hamilton County tested positive for West Nile virus.

“Now that we know that West Nile virus has come into our county, we want to take extra precautions and make sure we eliminate water sources that breed mosquitoes,” said David Hunter, environmental health program manager with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department.

Mosquitoes with West Nile contract the virus from biting an infected bird, and the bugs can pass the virus on to humans, a news release said. Most people who get West Nile will show no symptoms, but some will develop symptoms that include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma and paralysis, the release stated.

Bird baths, flower water pans and clogged gutters can hold standing water that serves as a breeding group for mosquitoes. Especially after a rain, residents should be sure to empty those kinds of containers regularly, officials said. Residents also should report mosquito breeding grounds, as well as dead crows, robins and blue jays, to the local health department, officials said.

“Although we have had no reported human cases of West Nile virus in Hamilton County (this year), it’s more important than ever that people take steps to protect themselves,” said Bonnie Deakins, director of environmental health services at the local health department, in a news release.

Ongoing mosquito surveillance conducted by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department brought in the infected sample in late August, Mr. Hunter said.

The positive mosquito pool came from an area of the county that includes ZIP codes 37302, 37315, 37363 and 37412, known as Sector 5. That area encompasses Apison, Collegedale, Ooltewah south of Interstate 75, East Brainerd and East Ridge, health officials said.

Since the health department has confirmed that West Nile is in that area, officials no longer will accept birds for West Nile virus testing from that sector, a news release said.

This is the first positive case of West Nile so far this season, Mr. Hunter said.

“I’m hoping that’s the last one we have,” he said. Mosquito season continues through late October and usually peaks in August.

Typically by October, “we’ll have had a frost and the (mosquito) populations would have been pretty much decimated,” Mr. Hunter said.

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