It’s not something to be alarmed about, but the annual occurrence of West Nile Virus in Knox County continues.
The Knox County Health Department says not long after the first dead bird of the season tested positive for the virus, the first mosquito pool of the season has had the same result.
It was collected August 6th.
Mosquitos primarily are how the virus is transmitted to humans, and those who get it have symptoms similar to the flu. Some could get a slight fever, others higher than that.
So, much like in their announcement last week, you’re urged to remove standing water from your property, and to wear long sleeves, long pants, especially at dawn and dusk. They also say use mosquito repellant containing DEET.
Officials say they’ll continue surveillance until early October, and apply larvicide to mosquito pools when needed.
Contact the Knox County Health Department if you think a dead bird or mosquito needs to be tested. They say call your doctor if you think you may have the virus.
It’s not clear where the mosquito pool or dead bird were found in the county.
