Onondaga County Health Commissioner, Dr. Indu Gupta, was just notified by the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Laboratory that mosquitoes from traps located on Route 298 and Island Road in the Cicero Swamp area and at Oneida Shores have tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). The traps located in the Town of Lysander were negative. The Onondaga County Health Department’s mosquito surveillance and control program will continue to trap and monitor throughout the county.

Dr. Gupta reminds residents that, “It is extremely important that people use personal protection measures to reduce their risk of being bitten by mosquitoes while spending time outdoors this fall season until the first heavy frost.”

For future mosquito pool test results, please see the data available at http://www.ongov.net/health/env/documents/MosquitoData.pdf.

The Onondaga County Health Department remains in close contact with the New York State Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation. For more information about personal protection measures against mosquitoes, visit www.ongov.net/health/env/mosquitoes.html  or contact the Onondaga County Health Department’s Division of Environmental Health at 315. 435.1649.