INDIANA, USA — The Floyd County Health Department and Clark County Health Department have reported the West Nile virus being found in mosquitoes. This is the first confirmed finding of West Nile in 2021 in both counties.
Floyd Co. said the positive samples were collected the week of Aug. 9 and Aug. 16th by a health department representative during routine county-wide mosquito sampling. Clark Co. said the positive sample was found Aug. 24.
The positive sample in Floyd Co. was found in New Albany and the sample in Clark Co. was found in Jeffersonville.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says West Nile is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States. Most people infected with the West Nile virus either show no symptoms or relatively mild symptoms, less than one percent of infected people develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis.
Both counties are advising residents to avoid getting mosquito bites by using insect repellents when outside. Residents are also urged to take extra care during peak mosquito biting hours which include early morning and dusk.
There have been no human cases of West Nile reported in either Floyd or Clark Co.
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