Ohio has 9th case of West Nile virus

CINCINNATI (AP) — Ohio has now confirmed nine human cases of West Nile virus this year, and state health officials say drought conditions and heat across the state mean that Ohioans can expect to see more of the mosquitoes that spread the virus.

The latest case was confirmed Wednesday in Clark County in west-central Ohio, but the virus has been found in mosquito pools tested statewide, Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman Tessie Pollock said.

No West Nile deaths have been reported in the state so far this year.

The case comes as areas in Texas are coping with a West Nile virus outbreak that Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings on Wednesday declared a state of emergency. He has authorized the first aerial spraying of insecticide in the city in more than 45 years to try to halt the spread of the virus there. Texas health department statistics show 381 cases and 16 deaths related to West Nile in that state.

Drought and heat in Ohio in recent months have increased the prevalence of the Culex mosquito that transmits West Nile. The mosquito prefers to breed in organically rich water sources, such as water in the process of evaporating from ditches and catch basins where leaves and other matter accumulate, Pollock added.