According to the St. Tammany Parish Mosquito Abatement District three mosquito samples sent to the LSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory have tested positive for West Nile Virus.

One of the samples came from the Pearl River area, while the other two came from around Lacombe, said Charles Palmisano, director of the STPMAD. The three samples came out of 111 sent to the LSU lab in Baton Rouge.

“These are the first positive samples for West Nile virus so far this year,” Palmisano said, but he added, there are no human or animal cases in the parish.

There are three breeds of mosquitoes capable of spreading West Nile virus. Shown is the Culex salinarius mosquito.

Palmisano said that since the report, his crews have been spraying the Pearl River and Lacombe areas using trucks and airplanes this week. Yesterday evening, planes sprayed the Lacombe area, and tonight Pearl River will get the aerial treatment.

The most common carrier of the disease is the Southern house mosquito that usually breeds in ditches with lots of organic content. STPMAD crews have been spraying the ditches around the parish with Bti, a bacterial spore that attacks mosquito larvae. The other mosquito that spread West Nile is the Culex salinarius that usually breeds in the marshes and swamps and the Asian tiger mosquito that usually lays its eggs in standing water and containers that have water. The Asian tiger breed has recently become common in the area, but so far no samples of the breed have been collected, Palmisano said. Two of the positive samples were from the Southern house mosquito and the third positive sample was from a Culex salinarius bloodsucker.

Despite the findings, Palmisano said that so far this summer, the population of mosquitoes in the parish has been low to moderate.

“It’s been a mild season so far,” Palmisano said.

West Nile virus is a neuroinvasive disease that gets into a person’s nervous system. The symptoms of West Nile are similar to influenza, but according to the Centers for Disease Control, only about 10 percent of people ever show any symptoms of West Nile. Those people that are asymptomatic usually don’t know they have it and discover they have it when they get a blood test or donate blood.

So far this year, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has found only one case of West Nile, in East Baton Rouge Parish. The DHH said the person did not exhibit any symptoms, but was discovered to have the disease by blood test.

Palmisano said that during this time of the year, his department is constantly testing samples collected from all over the parish. He said between 70-100 samples are collected in the parish each week from ditches, and areas in the marshes and swamps.

Palmisano said that residents can help his department to control the mosquito population in the parish by emptying out all containers outside their homes that contain standing water. Turn over items such as pails, wheelbarrows and wading pools when not in use. Clean out gutters to make sure rainwater does not collect there.

To protect yourself from mosquito bites, try and limit trips outside during the early morning or early evening hours, as this is when mosquitoes usually swarm. If you have to go outside, wear mosquito repellant that contains 20 to 30 percent DEET for adults, but no more than 10 percent for children. Try and wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts when outside. Reduce the amount of perfume or cologne on your body, as these substances attract mosquitoes. Make sure all the windows and doors in your house close completely and check to make sure window and door screens do not have holes in them.

The CDC said though everyone is at risk to get infected by West Nile Virus, people over the age of 65 are more susceptible to suffer from its complications.