West Nile Virus spreads in Lebanon, Lancaster counties

Three Pennsylvanians have died since late September from West Nile Virus and two more Lebanon County residents have tested positive in recent weeks.

A wet summer helped the disease make a comeback this year, according to Department of Health officials - and central Pennsylvania has been at the center of the problem. 

The three new deaths are in Lancaster, Westmoreland and Philadelphia counties, according to department of health spokesman Nate Wardle. An LNP obituary stated a 72-year-old Ephrata woman died Sept. 30, "after contracting West Nile Virus," according to LancasterOnline. 

There were previous deaths from West Nile Virus in Lebanon and Lancaster counties.

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The Department of Health had listed four human cases of the mosquito-borne illness in Lebanon County, including the fatality, as of a Sept. 27 Chambersburg Public Opinion report. There are now six known cases in Lebanon County, Wardle said Tuesday - tied for fourth-most in the state. 

Berks and Lancaster counties also have six reported human cases of West Nile Virus, according to information provided by Wardle. There are 80 known human cases statewide. 

That's an increase from recent years, but still far below the peak of West Nile Virus in Pennsylvania in 2013, when 237 people contracted the disease.

West Nile Virus is most frequently spread by mosquitos and typically occurs in the summer and fall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People can decrease their risk of contracting West Nile Virus by wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants and using insect repellent.