While some effects of the state budget cuts are glaringly obvious, others are as miniscule as mosquitoes.

Across Ohio, fewer and fewer county health departments are collecting mosquitoes to test for West Nile
virus, which can be deadly to humans.
An estimated 78 of the state’s 88 counties have discontinued mosquito pool testing due to a lack of
funding for the unmandated program. Meanwhile, those counties that still provide the testing are seeing
more West Nile virus among the pesky insects, according to the Associated Press.
An Ohio Department of Health spokesperson said last week that 248 pools of mosquitoes collected from
traps had tested positive for the virus so far this year. That’s up from 78 by this time in 2010,
according to the Associated Press. New data available this week shows that 334 pools of mosquitoes have
tested positive in the state.
That increase, however, has not translated into a jump in human cases of West Nile, with none being
reported so far this year in Ohio. But it may be premature to breathe a sigh of relief, since most human
cases of West Nile occur later in the year.
Wood County Health Department is one of the many in the state that had to discontinue mosquito
collections.
"We haven’t tested mosquitoes for about five years," said Brad Espen, director of environmental
services at the health department.
Espen suspected that if statewide testing was still conducted, it would reveal widespread West Nile among
mosquitoes.
"If you do test, you are probably going to find them statewide in every location," he said.
But like other counties, the local health department not only discontinued mosquito collections, but also
stopped spraying larvicide in vulnerable areas.
"That became cost prohibitive, too," Espen said.
Not only have state budget cuts affected health departments across the state – but also county
governments. And those cuts to county funding, in turn have impacted health departments. Consequently,
the $60,000 or so the Wood County Health Department used to get from the county commissioners for
mosquito control has since dried up.
The Wood County Health Department, however, does continue to offer local residents free mosquito dunks to
keep the pesky bugs from breeding in standing water.
"That is a lot more than other counties are doing," Espen said.
Mosquitoes often pick up West Nile from birds and spread it to humans through biting. In extreme cases,
the illness can lead to coma, paralysis and death in humans. About one in 150 people who become infected
develops a serious illness, according to the Associated Press.
In the last decade, Wood County has documented at least two deaths due to West Nile virus. Two older
women, one 79 and the other 81, died after contracting the virus.
Five cases in humans in Ohio were reported in Ohio in 2010.
Mosquitoes also can transmit a number of other diseases, including the La Crosse encephalitis virus,
which has been reported this year in northern and eastern Ohio. In severe cases, that can involve
inflammation of the brain.
To avoid possible infection from mosquito bites, people are advised to wear long pants, long-sleeved
shirts, shoes and socks if outdoors between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. Light colors
are least attractive to mosquitoes. Use insect repellent.
To eliminate mosquito breeding sites near your home, remove containers that allow standing water on
property. Make sure all roof gutters are clean and properly draining. Clean and chlorinate pools,
outdoor saunas and hot tubs. Drain water from pool covers. Change water in bird baths weekly.
For more information on how to prevent the spread of the virus, visit www.odh.ohio.gov and search West
Nile virus.