First case of West Nile reported in Delaware

    First time the disease found this year. DNREC says West Nile mosquito season just beginning.

    Delaware’s first case of the West Nile virus this year has been discovered at a site just west of Wilmington.

    The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has a number of sites around Delaware where chickens are housed and tested to see if those chickens get infected with the West Nile virus.  DNREC points out there have been no human cases reported.

    Mosquito control administrator William Meredith says the finding shouldn’t cause alarm.  He says it should remind residents to take normal precautions against mosquito bites.  The state will also continue spraying mosquito trouble areas around the state as outlined on DNREC’s website.

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    While this is the first case in Delaware there have been some cases reported along coastal areas of New Jersey, according to nj.com.  There have been several West Nile cases reported throughout Pennsylvania.  None have been in humans.

    There are two points in the state where residents can report mosquito problems.  One office in Glasgow, serves New Castle and Northern Kent County, 302-836-2555.  The other is in Milford serving Sussex and Southern Kent County, 302-422-1512.

    Symptoms of West Nile include fever, rash, headache and muscle ache.  Earlier this year, experts predicted that lots of wet weather over the winter would lead to a boom in the region’s mosquito population.

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