Mosquitoes that tested positive for West Nile virus have been captured in three separate traps throughout Atlanta.
The traps were located in Grant Park, Washington Park a little over a mile from Mercedes-Benz Stadium and near the Beltline around Herman J. Russell West End Academy (formerly Brown Middle School), according to Fulton County Board of Health on Tuesday.
Most people infected with this virus don’t feel sick, with about one out of every five people infected developing a fever or other symptoms and about one in every 150 infected people developing a serious —sometimes fatal — illness, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fulton health department staff set out traps from July to October every year to test mosquito larvae to see if they contain any diseases.
This comes two weeks after the trap at Herman J. Russell West End Academy ensnared mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus.
County workers will spray insecticides designed to kill adult mosquitoes within a half-mile of the affected areas once a week for at least four weeks, according to the health board’s announcement. Staff are also supposed to visit neighborhoods to give information about nighttime spraying and mosquito prevention safety.
Public health officials say a mosquito can lay dozens of eggs in a bottle cap filled with water. That’s why officials recommend that residents turn over flowerpots, cover wading pools or toss water stored outside once a week.
Credit: WSBTV Videos
