No West Nile Virus Detected So Far In Lorain County Mosquitoes

AVON LAKE, OH — Mosquitoes may be an annoyance this time of year, but so far none of the insects buzzing in Lorain County are carrying West Nile Virus.

Lorain County Public Health set up traps throughout the county, allowing officials to collect mosquitoes and send them off for testing. The Ohio Department of Health screened the mosquitoes for West Nile and other virus.

As of July 15, no virus activity has been detected in any of the Lorain County mosquitoes sent out for testing, the city of Avon Lake confirmed.

However, recent rainfall may have flushed mosquitoes out of creeks and ponds and toward areas holding water on local properties. Residents will want to make sure they don't have any standing water on their grounds.

Here are tips to avoid mosquito bites from Lorain County Public Health:

• Apply insect repellent whenever you go outside (mosquitoes are active both day and night).
• Use repellent that has DEET, Picardin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus in it.
• Protect babies by spraying repellent into your hand and then applying to their skin. Avoid the baby's eyes and mouth.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts or pants whenever possible.
• Rid your yard of standing water at least once a week. That means turning over kiddie pools, maintaining swimming pools or ornamental ponds, cleaning out the birdbath, getting rid of tires or dumping buckets, and generally cleaning any areas where water has pooled.

For more information on mosquito safety, visit the Lorain County Public Health website.