A mosquito pool sample collected from the 100 block of Morris Avenue in Egg Harbor Township tested positive for Jamestown Canyon virus, the Atlantic County Division of Public Health said Wednesday.
The sample was collected Oct. 1 and confirmed positive Tuesday.
Jamestown Canyon virus is a mosquito-borne virus that is typically less common in New Jersey than West Nile virus or eastern equine encephalitis, county officials said in a news release.
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts
Before this week, a total of four mosquito pools in the state had tested positive for JCV this year, two in Morris County and one each in Mercer and Sussex counties. One human case was confirmed in Middlesex County.
Symptoms of JCV may include fever, headache and fatigue, the county said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are no vaccines to prevent or medicines to treat JCV. It was first diagnosed in 1961 in mosquitoes in Jamestown, Colorado.
Anyone who experiences fever or neurological issues after being bitten by a mosquito should seek medical attention.
The risk for mosquito-borne illness continues until the first hard frost eliminates adult mosquito populations, the county said. Residents can help reduce their risk by using an insect repellent whenever outdoors, ridding their properties of mosquito breeding grounds by draining standing water, and cleaning clogged gutters and checking and repairing screen doors.
For more information about mosquito-borne illnesses, visit atlanticcountynj.gov or call the Division of Public Health at 609-645-5971.
Contact Dan Grote:
609-272-7234
dgrote@pressofac.com
X @ACPress_Grote
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Dan Grote
News editor
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don’t have an account? Sign Up Today