”+ ”;

MOSES LAKE a A mosquito sample collected last week from the Moses Lake area has tested positive for West Nile virus.

The positive test is the first detection of the virus in the state in 2018, according to the Grant County Health District.

Grant County Mosquito Control District 1, which covers the greater Moses Lake area including the sand dunes and potholes, reported the positive test.

No cases were reported in Grant County in 2017 despite the virus being found in 14 mosquito samples in the county.

There have not been any human or other animal cases reported yet this year but detection of the virus in the mosquito population means there is a potential for the virus to spread to humans.

aWNV is back again so if you havenat already taken the necessary steps to prevent mosquito bites, now is the time to start,a said Amber McCoy, environmental health specialist with the Grant County Health District.

The risk of getting the virus is low, but anyone can become infected, according to the health district.

Most people infected with the virus will not get sick. About one in five will have mild symptoms such as fever, headache and body aches, and about one in 150 people infected have more severe symptoms including high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, paralysis and coma.

Contact your health care provider if you have symptoms of a possible West Nile virus infection, especially if you recently had mosquito bites.