MIAMI Twp. – A mosquito trapped in Miami Township’s Paxton Ramsey Park recently tested positive for West Nile Virus. The virus can be spread to humans from the bite of an infected mosquito.

West Nile Virus can cause fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and a rash. While it can cause serious illness or even death, about 80 percent of people who become infected with the virus will not show any symptoms.

Clermont County Public Health has been trapping and collecting mosquitoes at several sites throughout the county this summer. The mosquitoes are then sent to a lab where they are tested for West Nile Virus.

Clermont County Public Health has trapped and tested 1,895 mosquitoes in the county this year. Statewide, more than 425,000 mosquitoes have been tested by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). There have been 150 positive tests for West Nile Virus in Ohio.

“We start to see an increase in mosquito activity in our area during late summer,” said Clermont County Assistant Health Commissioner Tim Kelly. “West Nile Virus is nothing new or nothing to be alarmed about, but we like to remind everyone to protect themselves and avoid mosquito bites when they’re outside.”

To avoid mosquito bites, citizens are encouraged to:

• Use EPA registered insect repellent and follow the label instructions.
• Wear long sleeves or long pants and cover as much of your skin as possible when you are outside, especially between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.
• Check your window and door screens to make sure there are no holes to allow mosquitoes in your home.
• Eliminate standing water in your yard where mosquitoes can breed.
• Use larvicide or mosquito dunks if you have areas in your yard that contain water that can’t be drained.

For more information on West Nile Virus, visit the Ohio Department of Health’s website at

http://bit.ly/ODHWNV.