The Village of Richfield was notified that Summit County Public Health (SCPH) set a mosquito trap near 4030 Ridgeview Drive on July 10, 2025. Mosquitoes in this trap tested positive for the West Nile Virus (WNV). It is not uncommon for mosquitoes caught in traps to test positive for the virus.
Most people who become infected with WNV do not have any symptoms. About one in five people who become infected develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. Less than 1 percent of infected people develop a serious neurologic illness, such as encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues).
Summit County Public Health (SCPH) recommends avoiding mosquitoes and mosquito bites by doing the following:
• Use insect repellents when you go outdoors.
• Apply repellents on exposed skin that are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe & effective, even for pregnant & breastfeeding women.
• Wear clothing treated with permethrin or another EPA-registered repellent for extra protection.
• Take extra care to use repellents from dusk to dawn.
• Wear light-colored clothing, long-sleeved shirts or jackets and long pants to protect against mosquito bites.
• Consider avoiding outdoor activities during peak mosquito biting hours.
• Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in an unscreened structure.
Because this trap was positive for the virus, SCPH will be spraying a one mile radius around this trap site in the coming weeks. The Village of Richfield will update this post when a date is scheduled. SCPH updates their spray schedules every Friday.
The spray schedule and maps of where SCPH will plan to spray can be found at the following link: https://www.scph.org/pest-control/mosquito-spray-schedule
SCPH does not conduct public notifications when West Nile Virus is detected in an area. West Nile Virus is endemic to Summit County and detecting the virus during our trapping activities is a common occurrence.