The Cuyahoga County Department of Health confirmed Wednesday that mosquitos in seven traps in the area have tested positive for West Nile virus.
The traps that contained mosquitos carrying the virus were found in:
- Bratenahl
- Chagrin Falls
- Cuyahoga Heights
- Newburgh Heights
- North Royalton
- Orange
- Strongsville
"We begin setting traps earlier in the summer around various locations throughout the county. We regularly revisit the sites and send about a dozen traps a week to the state for testing. We can expect a few to be positive each week, but the majority are negative," the health department said.
Finding traps that test positive for West Nile is normal for this time of year.
"To date, we have no documented human cases in Ohio. We normally start to see human cases in Ohio in August or September. Ohio can typically expect to see one to two dozen human cases per year," the health department said.
Ohioans are urged to use insect repellent anywhere mosquitoes may be found and to dress in multiple layers to avoid being bit.
"The message for residents is to use insect repellent when outdoors (helps with tick prevention also), avoid mosquito bites, and eliminate any standing water around the home. Residents need to follow these prevention steps until our first frost in October," the health department said.
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