West Nile virus detected in Sarasota

Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus have been detected in Sarasota County.

The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County announced Friday that several of its sentinel chicken flocks tested positive for the infection.

West Nile is primarily spread by mosquitoes. About eight in 10 people do not exhibit symptoms of the disease after they have been infected, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, one in five people infected will develop physical symptoms such as fever, body aches, diarrhea and rash. The CDC says that most people recover completely from those symptoms.

According to the DOH in Sarasota, the risk of transmission to humans has increased, so residents should take precautions to avoid being bitten using the “drain and cover” technique.

Residents are asked to drain containers of sitting water such as buckets and garbage cans and cover arms and legs with clothing and mosquito repellent.

Sarasota County Mosquito Control and DOH in Sarasota will continue to monitor the situation.

This story was originally published November 3, 2017 at 5:17 PM with the headline "West Nile virus detected in Sarasota."