(WJET/WFXP)– The Erie County Department of Health has confirmed they’ve collected the first sample that tested positive for West Nile Virus at the start of July.
According to the DOH, a sample of mosquitoes collected in the City of Erie on July 1 tested positive for the virus, the first one so far in 2026. No human cases were reported.
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As part of the announcement, the DOH has also launched an online dashboard tracking the virus, showing a map of Erie County’s municipalities where samples have been taken from and which municipalities have returned a positive test.
The DOH said they sample for the virus from May 1 to September 30 across 15 fixed traps and more floating sites every week, with more collected when positive samples are collected.
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They also said West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States and is most commonly spread to people who have been bitten by an infected mosquito. Those mosquitoes are infected by feeding on birds with the virus…