Though it comes as no surprise, the Ohio Department of Health has confirmed that West Nile Virus was found in two birds from Lawrence County.

Local health officials emphasized that this is no reason to panic and was not unexpected.

Now that two blue jays from the county have tested positive for the virus, no more birds will be tested. Once two positive cases are confirmed, the state stops testing birds from a particular county because it is done primarily for tracking purposes, said Sue Gunstream, environmental health director for the Lawrence County Health Department.

WNV is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes that first appeared in the United States in 1999. Since then, more than 250 cases have been detected in humans.

Last year, human cases were detected in 56 Ohio counties and West Nile was blamed for more than 30 deaths in 15 counties. Three birds and one human case were confirmed in Lawrence County last year, Gunstream said.

She said that they knew it would show up again this summer, but that it has not been as bad as last year.

"Overall, there have been a lot less cases this summer than last," she said. "The number of positives are way down."

Aaron Edwards, health commissioner/registered sanitarian for the city, said the city department sent six birds to the state. Three were unable to be tested, two were negative and one blue jay found on Delaware Street tested positive.

However, this only means that people should continue to take precautions.

"There is no reason to panic," he said. "According to the Ohio Department of Health, less than 1 percent of mosquitoes carry the West Nile Virus. Less than 1 percent of those bitten by an infected mosquito will become severely ill. Those are encouraging words."

The first human case was confirmed on July 18 in Fulton County. There have been 18 human cases in Ohio so far with one death, according to ODH.

Across the country, 2,874 human cases have been reported with 53 deaths this year as of Sept. 9, according to the Center For Disease Control. By far, Colorado has been the hardest hit this year with 973 cases and 13 deaths.

The virus can only be transmitted by mosquitoes and is most commonly found in crows and blue jays. However, the disease has been detected in owls, quail, ducks, morning doves and other species.

Anyone who finds a dead bird should wear gloves and dispose of the remains in doubled plastic bags, Gunstream said.

As always, health officials emphasized that prevention is the most important way to fight the disease.

Mosquitoes need water to breed, so it is important to eliminate anything that holds standing water, including ponds, weeds, alleys, drain ditches, bird baths, puddles and old tires as all are potential breeding grounds.

When working outside, people should wear long sleeves and use some type of repellent when outside, Gunstream said. Parents should consult their physicians before applying repellent to their children.