DECATUR, Ga. — DeKalb Public Health received lab confirmation Aug. 17 that four more mosquito surveillance traps tested positive for West Nile virus, bringing the number of DeKalb County ZIP codes with detections this season to six. 30035 — Unincorporated DeKalb (Decatur)/Stonecrest. 30340 — Unincorporated DeKalb (Atlanta)/Doraville. Those findings follow earlier positive samples from ZIP codes 30088, covering unincorporated DeKalb and Redan, and 30360 in Doraville. DeKalb Public Health said no human cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed in the county this year. DeKalb Public Health deploys mosquito traps across the county throughout the summer to monitor for diseases mosquitoes can transmit to humans. The traps, marked with red and white signs, are placed in low-traffic areas. Collected mosquitoes are examined under a microscope, sorted by species and gender, and tested for viruses of concern. The detections come amid what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the earliest start to West Nile season on record nationally, with cases running well ahead of the same point in 2003, the worst West Nile season since the virus arrived in the country. Georgia has had one confirmed human case as of Aug. 11, according to the CDC, though officials caution the true number of infections likely runs higher since most cases produce mild or no symptoms. West Nile virus surveillance detected infected mosquitoes in South Fulton, leading to a precautionary park…
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