Mosquito pools in Ruston test positive for West Nile virus

Mosquito samples taken in a north Ruston neighborhood have tested positive for West Nile Virus.

The virus was detected near a residence on Laura Lane, city Public Works Director John Freeman said Monday. Authorities are blaming a leaky sewer service that Freeman said has been fixed.

Vector Disease Control International, the company that provides mosquito abatement for Ruston, stepped up surveillance and spraying in the wake of the positive pools, VDCI Program Director Kelli Nustrud said.

VDCI sprayed a three- to- four block area surrounding and including Laura Lane on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, Nustrud said.

On Monday, VDCI began going doorto- door handing out pamphlets and leaving door hangers in the immediate area reminding residents how they can protect themselves.

“If you protect yourself against mosquito bites, you protect yourself against West Nile,” Nestrud said.

The two samples, both taken at the same location, were the first positive ones locally this year, Nestrud said.

So far, no human cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Lincoln Parish, according to the most recent weekly summary from the Louisiana Department of Health.

VDCI routinely submits mosquito samples to the LSU Disease and Diagnostic Lab to monitor for local viral activity. New samples were scheduled to be drawn from the site Monday night and the sample sent to LSU for a recheck.

West Nile virus is carried primarily by the Culex species of mosquitoes.

VDCI is urging residents to take precautions such as wearing long pants and longsleeved shirts when outdoors, using insect repellants, and removing standing water such as flowerpots, discarded tires, or other items that collect water and serve as mosquito breeding grounds.