West Nile virus detected in mosquitoes in Northeast Philadelphia, health officials say
Philadelphia health officials are warning residents after West Nile virus was found in mosquitoes in Northeast Philadelphia earlier this month.
Officials said the disease was detected in mosquitoes near Pennypack Park during a routine surveillance for the virus.
The Department of Health has alerted area doctors and medical offices to look out for patients with symptoms of the virus and for residents to take precautions against the virus.
Those precautions include wearing long sleeves, using bug spray with DEET, and making sure you discard any standing water.
For one local gardener, the warning is a painful reminder of just how dangerous the virus can be.
Grace Wicks from Chestnut Hill said she spent 100 days in the hospital battling brain damage and paralysis after contracting West Nile virus in 2022.
"It's been a long road," Wicks said. "I had to learn how to do everything over again, from talking, to sitting up, to eventually standing, to walking on a walker, to walking with a cane and now I can walk without anything."
She wants more doctors and medical professionals to be aware of the symptoms of West Nile.
"It took a while for me to get diagnosed with West Nile," Wicks said, "and I think that's part of why my progression was so serious."
West Nile virus is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes West Nile fever. It is a member of the family Flaviviridae, from the genus Flavivirus, which also contains the Zika virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. The virus is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes.
West Nile virus season in the United States generally runs from summer through fall, with the peak activity typically occurring from July through early September. This is when mosquito populations are at their highest and most active, especially during dusk and dawn.
The discovery of infected mosquitoes at Pennypack Park has some joggers, hikers and bikers on high alert.
"These mosquitoes carrying the diseases, it's like very concerning and I will say it's very problematic to me," Nazir Robey said.
The average number of West Nile virus cases in the U.S. varies annually, but the CDC reports that in 2022, 1,132 cases were reported. The disease is most common during the summer and early fall months. The CDC tracks West Nile virus cases through various surveillance systems, including human, animal and mosquito surveillance.
The city of Philadelphia is taking proactive steps to control the mosquito population, like spraying larvicide.
"When we detect our first mosquitoes that are infected with West Nile virus, we tend to see the spread of West Nile virus among mosquitoes throughout the city," Gayle Mendoza, communications deputy director for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, said. "So that means that there's more mosquitoes that we have with that, the risk for potential human infection is going to increase for the rest of the season."
All suspected and confirmed cases of West Nile virus should be reported to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health at 215-685-6741.
