Cincinnati Health Department Detects West Nile Virus in Bond Hill and Madisonville

As summer heat rises, so do hordes of everyone’s least favorite summer pest: mosquitoes.

The Cincinnati Health Department recently reported that mosquito samples in Bond Hill and Madisonville tested positive for West Nile virus, which is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the U.S.

“Whenever we find West Nile virus in our local mosquito population, we recognize the danger of it being transmitted to humans. That is what we want to prevent,” said Grant Mussman, the Cincinnati Health Department commissioner.

CHD regularly surveys the area for mosquito-borne diseases, and these collections were the first positive samples of the summer.

Cincinnati is not unfamiliar with West Nile virus. In 2023, Cincinnati reported 31 mosquito pools that tested positive for West Nile virus. Last year was unusual – on average, Cincinnati has three positive pools per year. Despite these results, no human infections were diagnosed last year, with the last confirmed case in Cincinnati being in 2012.

Cincinnati is one of 28 cases in nine Ohio counties to find West Nile virus in mosquito populations this year, according to the Ohio Department of Health .

West Nile virus spreads via the bite of an infected mosquito. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the infection can cause fevers, rashes, headaches and in rare cases, neurologic illness.

When CHD identifies a positive pool of mosquitoes, its Technical Environmental Services team contacts all residents within a 0.5 and 1-mile radius alerting them of the presence of the disease.

“We want to encourage Cincinnati area residents to take some simple precautionary measures to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbors,” Mussman said.

To stay safe this summer, CDH recommends controlling mosquito breeding sites around your home. The best way to do this is by getting rid of sources of standing water where mosquitoes could lay eggs, such as puddles, children’s toys, kiddie pools, dog bowls and bird baths.

CDH also recommends regularly using mosquito repellent and doing your best to keep mosquitoes out of your home.