If your in Mercer County and thinking about going out in Crawford County, you may want to exercize some caution.

The Mercer County Conservation District say health officials have detected the West Nile Virus and the Jamestown Canyon Virus, viruses that can lead to severe health complications, in the county. 

The West Nile Virus has been detected in mosquitos collected from the Borough of Cambridge Springs in Crawford County.

This is the first sample to test positive for this virus in Crawford County this year.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, West Nile Virus can occur in people of any age, though people over 60 years of age are at greater risk.

People with cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and people who have received organ transplants, are also at greater risk.

Associated symptoms can include blindness, disorientation, coma, convulsions, headache, high fever, muscle weakness, neck stiffness, numbness, paralysis,
stupor, and tremors.

These symptoms may last for several weeks, and the neurological effects may be permanent.

The Jamestown Canyon Virus was detected in Vernon Township, which is the first time it was detected since routine testing was expanded in 2023.

JCV is a mosquito-borne orthobunyavirus first identified in Jamestown Canyon, Colorado, in 1961. 

Most people do not develop symptoms while some will have fever, headache, and fatigue.

Respiratory symptoms such as coughing, sore throat, or runny nose may also occur. Jamestown Canyon virus can cause severe disease, including infection of the brain (encephalitis) or the membranes around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis).

The Mercer County Conservation District says the detection of Jamestown Canyon virus in Crawford County does not indicate an immediate or
widespread threat to the public but is a result of additional testing capacities as a part of the statewide Mosquito Disease Control program.