Mosquitoes bearing West Nile virus have been found in Schuylkill, Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties, according the state Department of Health.

No cases of the virus have been reported in humans in Pennsylvania. The virus is contracted by bites from infected mosquitoes.

A total of 38 counties across the state had mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus, according to the state’s West Nile Virus Control program.

The program is a joint effort of the Department of Health, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Environmental Protection.

Most people who contract the virus have no symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There are no vaccines to prevent the infection, and no medications to treat it.

However, about one in five people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms, and about one out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.

Human cases have been reported in California, North and South Dakota, Alabama, Oklahoma and New York.

Virus surveillance

Kyle T. Schutt is the mosquito-borne disease control technician working in Schuylkill County.

Testing started May 17 and will continue until Oct. 31, he said.

Schutt explained how West Nile virus is tracked.

“It’s not a single infected mosquito that we find. We take samples that are broken down into pools of 50. They are tested as a group, so we know a portion of the pool tested positive in a certain area,” he said.

Where has West Nile been found in our area?

“So far, two positive pools have been found in West Mahanoy Township; one in Mahanoy Township, one in Ringtown, three in Schuylkill Haven, one in Cressona, and four in Pottsville.

In Carbon County, one pool of mosquitoes in Palmerton tested positive for West Nile.

Six pools tested positive in Lehigh County, and three in Northampton County.

In Lehigh County, they were found in the City of Allentown and in South Whitehall. In Northampton County, they were in Lehigh Township, Easton and Bethlehem.

No cases have been documented in Monroe.