The Lexington Fayette Health Department has confirmed its first case of West Nile virus for 2017 in a local resident.
Health department crews are initiating targeted spraying in sections of downtown and east Lexington.
The West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. It’s known to be present in mosquito populations in Kentucky.
In most instances, people infected with West Nile show no or relatively mild symptoms including fever, headache, nausea, and swollen lymph glands.
In rare cases, West Nile can lead to serious ailments like meningitis or encephalitis.
Health department crews plan to conduct pre-dawn spraying Thursday in portions of the zip codes 40502, 40405, 40507, and 40508.
Fayette health officials earlier this year announced plans for targeted spraying if there were locally-transmitted cases of the Zika Virus,
So far, there have been no such cases in the Lexington area.
