West Nile Virus

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Mosquito spraying resumes today in Franklin County, which leads the state in the number of positive West Nile virus samples and where a 5-year-old girl fell sick with the disease earlier this month. A Pennsylvania Department of Health spokesman said his latest update on the child indicated she was recovering at home after being hospitalized. He confirmed that a 73-year-old Lackawanna County woman died over the weekend, becoming Pennsylvania's second West Nile virus fatality in 2006.

MIDDLETOWN, Md. - Mosquitoes collected at Middletown Park off Coblentz Road tested positive for West Nile virus, according to a press release from the Frederick County Health Department. There have been no confirmed human cases of West Nile virus in Frederick County since 2003, and there have been no confirmed cases in Maryland this year, according to the release. The test results from the mosquitoes marked the first 2006 confirmed report of the virus in mosquitoes in Frederick County, according to the release.

Officials at the University of Maryland say that because of the recent heavy rains, this is likely to be a bumper year for mosquitoes. Getting bitten is no fun, but there might be more than discomfort involved if you're bitten by a bug carrying the West Nile virus or encephalitis. But you can increase your odds of avoiding infection if you take precautions recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. CDC's tips include: Use an EPA-registered insect repellent such as those with DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.

CPR, first-aid class HealthFirst Enterprises will offer the following classes: Adult, child and infant CPR instruction, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16; 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 21; or 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 29. Two-year certification cards and all materials included. $40. Registration is required. Healthcare Provider CPR also is offered. First-aid instruction, 9 a.m. Saturday, April 1. The course covers bleeding, burns, shock, severe allergic reactions, asthma, sprains, broken bones, neck and head injuries, diabetes, seizures, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hypothermia, stings, bites, poisoning and more.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Monday the first confirmed case of human West Nile virus in Franklin County this year, a 75-year-old woman who was hospitalized in early September. The unidentified woman has since been released from the hospital and was recuperating at home, said Jessica Seiders, a department spokeswoman. This year, however, the state has seen a precipitous drop in the number of West Nile cases in humans, Seiders said. The woman was only the seventh confirmed case of the disease in Pennsylvania, compared to 237 in 2003, eight of whom died, she said.

The executive director of the Washington County Humane Society said Wednesday there were no new leads in the investigation surrounding the deaths of three mute swans in City Park on June 26 and 27. Three of the park's five mute swans were found dead by park officials and sent to the Animal Health Lab in Frederick, Md., Paul Miller said Lab officials said they tested the bodies for West Nile virus, found nothing and then sent the bodies for...

andrews@herald-mail.com Four Washington County residents have tested positive for West Nile virus, according to the county health department. The first confirmed blood test was reported Aug. 28. Subsequent positive tests on other people were reported Sept. 8, Sept. 18 and Oct. 1. Washington County Health Department spokesman Rod MacRae said Monday that the patients are recovering at home. The department is not identifying the patients by name, age or hometown. West Nile virus, which largely is spread by mosquitoes, affects the central nervous system, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

shappell@herald-mail.com Two more horses have tested positive for West Nile virus, the Washington County Health Department said Tuesday. A spokesman also said the department is awaiting test results from three people suspected of having the virus, which can be fatal to humans. A department news release said one of the latest reported cases of West Nile virus involves a horse that began showing symptoms on Sept. 22. The release said another horse had to be euthanized on Sept.