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In the almost 20 years since West Nile virus first appeared in the United States, Warren County has not seen the disease contract. No other county in New Jersey was able to make this statement early in the summer.
This has changed this month, when a state health department report confirmed the first human case of West Nile in Warren County, according to the county mosquito commission. The state has confirmed 19 human infections so far this year, and at least seven more are under investigation.
The announcement comes in a year when Warren has already broken his annual record of virus-carrying mosquitoes – 61 positive samples have already been reported, more than six times the county's annual average and double the record number of 31 registered cases last year.
And there is still a month and a half to follow up.
"I've never seen anything like it," said Jennifer Gruener, superintendent of the Warren County Mosquito Commission. "We are doing everything we can to reduce these numbers, but we need people to take charge."
The report of the health department documenting the human case did not indicate a municipality, but positive mosquitoes for West Nile were found in 17 of Warren's 22 municipalities. The virus so far has do not appeared in the townships of Blairstown, Frelinghuysen, Independence, Knowlton and Mansfield – the others saw only a positive sample (Greenwich, Hardwick, Lopatcong and White and Washington Borough townships) or 12 (Hackettstown).
Most people infected with West Nile virus will have no symptoms, according to the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About one in five patients will develop a fever with other symptoms, such as headache, muscle aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or rashes. Most people with this type of West Nile virus recover completely, but fatigue and weakness can last for weeks or months, according to the CDC.
The most severe cases affect about one in 150 people. In these cases, the central nervous system is affected and inflammations around the brain or spine can develop.
Prevention can be as simple as wearing an insect repellent. But to really fight the spread of West Nile, the county mosquito commission is asking residents to eliminate any stagnant water on their property – fertile ground for mosquitoes. This can include buckets, tires and even tarpaulins collecting water.
The mosquito commission will also make anonymous calls to report abandoned pools – each of which, according to the commission, can produce up to a million mosquitoes and touch people up to five miles.
Callers can contact the board at 908-453-3585 or via its website at www.warrencountymosquito.org.
Steve Novak can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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