Philadelphia health officials are cautioning residents to protect themselves against West Nile virus after detecting the disease in mosquitoes near Pennypack Park in the city’s Northeast section.
The city’s Department of Public Health routinely conducts surveillance for the virus. Recent testing results detected the season’s first infected mosquitoes in Northeast Philadelphia, prompting a July 7 city health advisory to area medical providers warning of an increased risk to residents of contracting West Nile.
Health officials instructed medical providers to look out for virus symptoms in patients — and test them for West Nile when appropriate — from now through October’s end or until the first frost. Patients with unexplained neurological symptoms, including brain and spinal cord inflammation, must be tested.
Suspected and confirmed cases should be reported immediately to the city’s health department.
Doctors and nurses are also encouraged to discuss mosquito bite prevention with patients, especially those who work or spend time outdoors and those traveling to subtropical and tropical areas, where mosquito-borne illnesses are prevalent.
» READ MORE: READ MORE: What to know about West Nile virus, including can dogs get it?
The majority of people bitten by a West Nile-infected mosquito don’t get the virus, and most don’t experience any symptoms. Fewer than 1% will develop severe disease, according to Emily Kehoe, the city’s vectorborne disease surveillance coordinator.
In rare cases, however, people can become extremely ill. About one out of 10 people die from a severe case, Kehoe said in an email Thursday to The Inquirer.
The virus can cause encephalitis or meningitis, which result in swelling of brain and of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord. Older adults and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk.
About 20% of people will develop a flulike illness with a fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other symptoms include rash, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, joint pain, and body aches.
There is no vaccine and no specific treatment. Rest, fluids, and pain medication can help relieve symptoms. Most people fully recover.
Each year, from 2020 to 2024 in Philadelphia, four to nine people were diagnosed with West Nile virus that caused neurological complications. During each of those years, at least one case was fatal. As of Thursday, there were no confirmed cases of West Nile virus among Philadelphia residents this year, according to Kehoe.
Beware of other viruses spread by mosquitoes or ticks
Viruses spread by mosquitoes or ticks to people are known as “arboviral infections.” They include West Nile, Powassan virus, and Jamestown Canyon virus.
The health department first detected Powassan in black-legged ticks in Philadelphia in fall 2019. Mosquitoes infected with Jamestown Canyon virus were identified in Pennsylvania beginning in 2023.
But arboviral infections are rare in the Philadelphia region.
Each year, mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus are detected in parks citywide. Pennypack Park includes about 1,600 acres of woodlands, meadows and wetlands in the city’s Holme Circle neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia.
As additional mosquito samples — collected from other parts of the city — are tested for West Nile virus, the health department anticipates more positive results in coming weeks, Kehoe said.
The health department advises residents to take these steps to protect themselves from mosquito and tick-borne diseases:
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Use bug repellent with DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus while outdoors.
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Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
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Use well-fitted screens on windows and doors to keep out mosquitoes.
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Regularly empty standing water outside the home. Drill holes in the bottom of trash cans and turn over plastic kiddie pools at day’s end.
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Report mosquito problems to the city health department’s Mosquito Complaint hotline at 215-685-9000. Dead birds, which can carry West Nile and bird flu, should be reported to the state Game Commission at 833-742-9453.
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