Indiana and Michigan health officials: West Nile virus risk remains until first hard freeze

While it’s been an average summer for mosquito activity in Indiana and Michigan, experts urge people to continue to be vigilant when outdoors since the risk of contracting the West Nile virus will remain for weeks or even months.

As of Friday, Michigan officials had confirmed eight reported cases of humans infected with West Nile virus, including one that resulted in death in Wayne County.

A spokeswoman with the Indiana State Department of Health confirmed that Hamilton, Vanderburgh and Allen counties all have reported cases of humans with West Nile virus.

Entomology Director of the ISDH Brian Price said that while this has been an average year in terms of the number of West Nile virus cases reported across the state, “as time goes on, additional cases will be reported.”

Not until the first hard freeze will the elevated risk diminish, he said.

Although Dr. Luis Galup, director of the St. Joseph County Health Department in Indiana, reports no human cases of West Nile virus here, he said many nearby counties have confirmed the presence of infected mosquitoes.

In Elkhart County, there also have been no human cases reported, but Carrie Brunson, of the county health department, said summer interns collected mosquitoes from 10 testing sites throughout the county that all tested positive for West Nile virus.

Administrator of the Kosciusko County Health Department Robert Weaver said the county has confirmed “a small population of mosquitoes harboring the disease.”

“The county typically sees this type of mosquito activity in mid to late summer, especially in August,” he said.

LaPorte County Health Department officials reported no human cases for the area, and all mosquito testing came back negative for West Nile virus.

In Marshall County, Christine Stinson, administrator for the Marshall County Health Department, said that while there were no reported human cases of West Nile virus in the county, many “West Nile virus cases are not reported by physicians” or, that physicians may not conduct follow- up testing after a patient shows potential signs of the virus.

Stinson said those concerned about the virus for the remainder of the summer should limit their outdoor activities from dusk until dawn, remove containers in their yard filled with stagnant water, clear out their gutters and take care of any unruly weeds.

“Mosquitoes that carry West Nile are not travelers,” she said, “they are home-grown mosquitoes.”