West Nile virus detected in mosquitoes trapped at Chastain Park, treatments underway

The city of Atlanta plans to treat Chastain Park after a mosquito trap tested positive for West Nile virus.

The Chastain Park Conservancy announced on Wednesday that it had been notified by the city of the positive test and that treatment of the affected area would happen Wednesday and Thursday night, weather permitting. The treatments would occur within a quarter-mile radius of the positive trap's location.

Officials say this is not the first time that mosquitoes trapped at the park have tested positive for the virus this year.

After the treatment, the area will be retested and signage will be placed to notify visitors of the situation.

West Nile virus was first reported in the United States in 1999 in New York, and then gradually spread across the country. It peaked in 2003, when nearly 10,000 cases were reported.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of West Nile virus include fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. Severe illness can affect the central nervous system and result in hospitalization or death. 

The CDC recommends using an insect repellent registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, wearing long, loose-fitting shirts and pants so it is harder for mosquitoes to bite your skin, and avoiding being outside between dusk and dawn when the mosquitoes that spread West Nile virus are most active.

So far this year, there have been no reported cases of West Nile virus in Georgia.