Mosquitoes Test Positive for West Nile Virus Again

FALL RIVER – For the second time this month, health officials reported that mosquitoes collected from the Oak Grove Cemetery area tested positive for the potentially deadly West Nile virus.

Mosquitoes in the area first tested positive for the virus Aug. 1.

“A second positive test is not cause for undue concern,” department Director Michael J. Coughlin said in a news release Friday. “The public should continue to take personal precautions against nuisance mosquitoes for the remainder of the summer. The Bristol County Mosquito Control Project [of which Fall River is a member] will conduct a [pesticide] spraying regimen in the area and attempt to knock down the virus before it spreads any further.”

The virus is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of a mosquito infected with the virus.

The department is conducting additional tests over the weekend and if more mosquitoes test positive for the virus, a wider segment of the city might be included in the spraying regimen.

Either way, spraying will occur in the area 9 or 10 blocks out from the boundaries of the cemetery tomorrow evening, two hours after nightfall.

To reduce exposure, Coughlin suggests staying indoors during the spraying.