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West Nile Virus Found in Bay County

Florida health officials reported three new cases of the mosquito-born virus, Zika, on Friday. One was a pregnant woman, marking Florida's fifth. The disease has been linked to birth defects.
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Florida health officials reported three new cases of the mosquito-born virus, Zika, on Friday. One was a pregnant woman, marking Florida's fifth. The disease has been linked to birth defects.
The Florida Channel

The Florida Department of Health in Bay County has confirmed the presence of the West Nile virus.

The county department is issuing an official mosquito borne illness alert. Although there aren’t any reported cases of the virus in a human, mosquito pools and sentinel chickens, which are used to test for the virus, have West Nile. The Bay County Department of Health have coined the phrase “Drain and Cover.”

This reminds citizens to drain any stagnant water and close home windows to prevent both the multiplication of mosquitos, as well as exposure to them.

Until the scope of the virus is known, Bay County encourages residents to wear long sleeved clothing and apply repellent frequently.

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Catherine Buckler