South Health District

The Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed twenty-four mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile Virus in Lowndes County. Public Health Officials continue to encourage South Georgians to guard against exposure to mosquitoes.

Valdosta – Public Health officials are encouraging South Georgians to wear mosquito spray whenever outdoors to guard against mosquito-borne illnesses. A horse in Brooks County has tested positive for Eastern […]

Public Health officials are encouraging South Georgians to wear mosquito spray whenever outdoors to guard against mosquito-borne illnesses. A horse in Lowndes County has tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).

A non-pregnant female was infected by her male partner who had traveled to Brazil earlier this year and was among Georgia’s confirmed travel-related cases. The woman who was infected had not traveled out of the country. She and her partner have fully recovered.

DPH is confirming two additional travel-related cases of Zika virus in Georgia. This brings the total number of travel-related cases of Zika virus in the state to three.

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) cautions travelers, especially women who are pregnant, headed to countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, among others.

Symptoms of WNV include headache, fever, neck discomfort, muscle and joint aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash – that usually develop three to 15 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.