NEW ORLEANS — Mosquitoes collected from traps in a Covington neighborhood have tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV), the first instance of the infection in Louisiana this year, St. Tammany Parish officials said.
On Friday afternoon, officials with the St. Tammany Parish Mosquito Abatement department said mosquitoes found over the last two weeks in the Tammany Hills neighborhood tested positive for the disease. That puts residents at higher risk of contracting the virus.
Officials said residents around the area should expect increased abatement efforts, including crews spraying chemicals to kill mosquito larva from trucks, airplanes and helicopters in the coming weeks.
While most people who contract West Nile Virus do not actually develop symptoms, about one in five people develop fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, joint pain and fatigue, among other symptoms, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
While fatalities from West Nile virus are rare, symptoms become severe for about one in 150 people with the disease, and about one in 10 of those severe cases turn deadly, the CDC says.
The insects were tested by the Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. One out of the 89 sample pools sent for testing last week came back positive for the disease.
To date this year, 1631 pools have been tested in St. Tammany Parish.
St. Tammany Mosquito Abatement officials said larvicide spraying efforts started earlier this month have yielded positive results in denting the population of possibly infected mosquitoes.
Still, officials said residents should wear insect repellents, long sleeve shirts and pants and avoid being outside during "peak biting times:" One hour before and after dusk and dawn.