Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus have been found in Sharon, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, according to a release from the Mercer County Conservation District.

The Vector Management Program of the MCCD recommends that residents and businesses near the Budd Street Bridge in Sharon should take extra precautions, including wearing full-length pants, long sleeve shirts, and applying insect repellant when outdoors during dusk and dawn. 

Residents and businesses should also try and eliminate areas where standing water can easily accumulate such as bird baths, discarded tires, pool covers, empty jugs, wheelbarrows, or other containers capable of holding water. Standing water acts as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

West Nile Virus, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, is a mosquito-borne disease that can cause encephalitis, or brain inflammation, in rare cases.

One in five who are infected by WNV will develop mild symptoms of fever, headache, body aches, skin rash, and swollen lymph glands. One in 150 will contract an infection called West Nile encephalitis, which carries symptoms of fever, headache, stiffness in the neck, disorientation, and in some cases coma, tremors, convulsions, and paralysis. 

Infections of the virus can last from several days to several weeks, and any neurological effects may be permanent, and in some cases, fatal.

There is no specific treatment for WNV, so the best way to avoid symptoms is to avoid contracting the virus in the first places through preventative measures like insect repellant and long clothing.