We want to be sure we are prepared if this virus crosses the Pennsylvania state line, Secretary Zimmerman said. We are developing an aggressive plan to monitor, test and control the species of mosquitoes that carries the virus, and to educate Pennsylvanians on easy steps they can take to protect themselves. West Nile encephalitis cases occur primarily in the late summer or early fall. People are infected from the bite of a certain kind of mosquito, called the Northern house mosquito, carrying the virus.
Mosquitoes acquire the virus from infected birds and horses.
Those mosquitoes then transmit the virus to people and other animals. Although the West Nile virus has not been found in Pennsylvania, the state wants to be ready in case the virus spreads into the state this summer. The funds will provide necessary staffing and an improved epidemiological infrastructure to detect the virus should it find its way into Pennsylvania. The departments of Health, Environmental Protection, Aging, and Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Fish and Boat and Game commissions currently are working on a comprehensive, statewide plan to try to prevent a virus outbreak in Pennsylvania. We learned from other states last summer that we need to be ready to respond if the virus is found to help prevent it from spreading, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary James M. Seif said.