West Nile virus detected in Branch County

LANSING, Mich. ( WLNS ) — West Nile virus has been detected in two dead crows in Branch County, health officials say.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services told the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency about the confirmed cases.

Michigan has so far recorded seven human cases of West Nile this season, MDHHS data shows , with the patients in Berrien, Delta, Genesee, Livingston, Macomb and Wayne counties. Thirty-seven birds and two horses around the state have also contracted it. There have also been three cases of eastern equine encephalitis in horses.

“Residents are reminded to take steps to reduce their risk of exposure to mosquitos. West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis are two diseases that can be transmitted to humans and animals through mosquito bites that we have previously seen in our area,” Rebecca Burns, health officer for the community health agency, said in a Tuesday statement.

You can protect yourself from mosquito-borne illnesses including West Nile and EEE by avoiding mosquito bites:

• Wear a mosquito repellent that contains 10% to 35% DEET.
• Stay indoors at dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear light-colored clothing, as well as long sleeves and pants.
• Remove standing water in your yard, which can be a mosquito breeding ground. Keep grass short, shrubs trimmed and gutters clean.
• Keep window and door screens in good repair.

Burns warned people that the threat of mosquito-born viruses continues until the first hard frost.

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