Mosquito sample tests positive for West Nile in Warren County

Aug 14, 2023

A second mosquito sample in the Cincinnati region has tested positive for the West Nile virus.

The sample was collected at the Miller Ecological Park in Lebanon on July 18, the Warren County Health District announced Monday. Earlier this month, the Cincinnati Health Department announced the collection of a mosquito sample that tested positive for West Nile, which was the first in the region of 2023.

The sample collections by health agencies are routine.

West Nile detected in Cincinnati:What you need to know

According to the Ohio Department of Health, the West Nile Virus is an arbovirus (infections caused by a bite) spread by bites from infected mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds and then can spread the virus to humans or other animals through a bite. Most people in Ohio are infected by what's called the northern house mosquito (Culex Pipiens), a common house mosquito in urban, suburban and rural habitats, according to Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Studies.

The virus was first detected in the United States in New York City in 1999 and spread quickly across the country within a few years, according to ODH. By 2002, it had spread through 87 of Ohio's 88 counties. There were an estimated 225 deaths attributed to the West Nile virus in the United States in 2021.

West Nile can cause potentially serious illnesses and is present in many Ohio counties, the health district said.

The Warren County Health District recommends a number of precautions to protect yourself against mosquito bites, particularly as youth sports continue. In addition to wearing long sleeve shirts and applying mosquito repellant to skin, here are some precautions individuals can take: