DeKalb Sees Surge In West Nile Virus-Carrying Mosquitoes

BROOKHAVEN, GA -- More than a month after a Brookhaven man tested positive for West Nile Virus, DeKalb County health officials are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of mosquitoes with the virus, Patch has learned. The DeKalb Board of Health reported recently that the virus has been seen in five times the number of mosquitoes they normally see it in, according to local media.

A map released by the health board shows virus-positive mosquitoes in a number of cities in the area, including Decatur, Chamblee, Pine Lake, Brookhaven, Clarkston, Tucker and Doraville. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

"We are concerned," Juanetta Willis, the arbovirus coordinator, told WAGA-TV. "So we want, not to alert people, but to make people aware that they really need to be taking the precautions. Most people infected with West Nile Virus are infected during August, September and in October. So, even though the kids are back at school, I need you to keep using the repellent anddumping the water."

A Brookhaven resident was diagnosed with West Nile virus in early July. The results come from a notification from the DeKalb County Board of Health, the city said.

The 72-year-old man was hospitalized, but it is unclear if he remains so. Days later, a 78-year-old man was diagnosed with the virus as well. (To get notified of more local news like this, click here to sign up for the BrookhavenPatch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Brookhaven along with the county's Board of Health have been monitoring conditions for the emergence of West Nile for months, the city said.

“In an abundance of caution, we are working with the DeKalb County Board of Health and redoubling our efforts to minimize any exposure to the West Nile virus in Brookhaven,” City Manager Christian Sigman said in a news release. “We are comparing our stormwater drainage maps with the Board of Health maps, to ensure every storm drain is treated with a larvicide which is safe for humans, but interrupts the life cycle of mosquitoes. This includes all of our parks and ponds in the City.”

Residents are urged to dispose of standing water around their properties and to spray DEET on their bodies if they are engaged in outdoor activities.

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