Sneak preview West Nile virus sample found

MOSES LAKE - Mosquitoes sampled in Grant County tested positive for West Nile Virus, the Grant County Health District reported Monday.

The Washington State Department of Health notified the health district that a sample collected Aug. 29 in an area southwest of Moses Lake described as the "western sand dunes" tested positive for the virus.

There have been no human or animal cases of the virus in Washington this year, according to the district.

The positive sample was the first in Grant County and the second in Washington this year.

West Nile Virus symptoms vary. About one in 150 people infected with the virus develop severe illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected have milder symptoms. About 80 percent who are infected with the virus will not show any symptoms.