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West Perry grad is wounded in Afghanistan Army Pfc. Benjamin L. Lightner, 19, of New Bloomfield had been in Afghanistan three months when he drove an armed security vehicle over a roadside bomb while returning from a 10- to 12-hour mission last month. |
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Perry County Conservation District officials said a mosquito carrying West Nile virus (WNV) was found in Jackson Twp. |
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Jenna Alleman, 5, daughter of Kim and Jesse Alleman of Elliottsburg, recently collected nonperishable food and cleaning supplies in lieu of gifts at her prekindergarten/day care graduation party from the Churches Affiliated Child Care Center of Enola. |
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Swigart has Aug. 14 court date in theft of revolver A Duncannon man waived his formal arraignment on charges of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, resulting in an automatic not guilty plea. |
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Duncannon Borough employees and a masonry company began work last week on restoring one of the town’s parks. |
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New Bloomfield plans to upgrade borough office At its July 8 meeting, New Bloomfield Borough Council awarded contracts for the renovation of two rooms in the borough building to a local contractor, contingent upon resolving an issue regarding prevailing wages. |
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Vote on Rockville Estates could come next week A member of Marysville Planning Commission told residents a vote on a proposed development possibly could occur at the commission’s July 22 meeting. |
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Land ordinance draws criticism Three Wheatfield Twp. residents spoke out against a proposed park and recreation land ordinance at supervisors’ July 7 meeting. |
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Organization offers information about services Brenda Apple, community relations person of the nonprofit organization, SUN Home and Health, distributed packets of information at the Millerstown Borough Council’s July meeting about the services it offers at Sunbury Street, Millerstown. |
West Nile detected in county
Publication date: 07.17.08
Staff Writer
Perry County Conservation District officials said a mosquito carrying West Nile virus (WNV) was found in Jackson Twp.
The mosquito was trapped near Blain on June 26. The infected mosquito was one of 326 trapped, and sent by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to a lab. They were divided into three groups of 100, and one group of 24.
“One mosquito can make an entire sample positive,” Berilla said, adding residents should not be overly concerned, or complacent.
This is the first case of WNV reported in a mosquito captured in Perry County in 2008. Statewide, there have been 12 reported cases of WNV present in mosquitoes this year.
Since the Pennsylvania West Nile Virus Surveillance Program began in 2000, there have been 65 cases in Perry County. Only one instance, in 2003, of the virus present in a human was reported.
After DEP alerted Berilla of the positive sample, Berilla contacted county commissioners.
“We’re following the guidelines of our program,” she said. “We’re going to continue to spray and be proactive.”
The county’s West Nile virus program traps mosquitoes with two different kinds of traps. One is the gravid trap, which lures mosquitoes using a foul-smelling liquid, gravid. They then are sucked into a small chamber.
The other is a light trap, which is used to capture blood-meal-seeking mosquitoes. The mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide from dry ice in a cooler. When close enough, a small fan sucks the mosquito into a collection chamber.
West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes, which transfer it to birds, humans or other animals after biting them. The virus can cause infections and, in rare cases, lead to inflammations of the spinal cord and brain. It is considered a seasonal epidemic.
Officials say the best way to reduce the number of virus carrying mosquitoes is to target their breeding sites, primarily stagnant water, which sometimes is in old tires.
“If you find water in old tires, the best thing to do is either drill holes in them to allow drainage or take them to a tire recycling facility and get rid of them altogether,” a conservation district release stated.
For more information, readers may contact the conservation district at 582-8988 or visit its Web site at www.perrycd.org.
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