(AP) - Health officials say they've identified West Nile virus in two Michigan counties, the earliest such detection in several years as weather conditions encourage the presence of mosquitoes.
The Michigan Department of Community Health announced Tuesday a mosquito pool sample collected in mid-June by Saginaw County officials tested positive for the virus. A wild turkey from Washtenaw County that was submitted to the Department of Natural Resources also tested positive.
No human cases have been confirmed this year.
The health department says the virus could present a risk to human health since it's circulating in mosquitoes and birds. Officials are urging people to take steps to avoid mosquito bites.
The department says an unusually warm spring encouraged the early hatching of mosquitoes, which transmit the virus.
Saturday, May 18 2013 5:09 PM EDT2013-05-18 21:09:49 GMT
Neighbors in Waterville are shocked and afraid after a deadly home invasion early Saturday morning.34-year-old James Safadi was shot in his Waterville Township home and three suspects are still on the
Neighbors in Waterville are shocked and afraid after a deadly home invasion early Saturday morning.
Saturday, May 18 2013 9:52 PM EDT2013-05-19 01:52:31 GMT
LEXINGTON, Mich. (AP) - Carol Connell remembers well the gift she gave Sara Ylen, a friend seemingly forced to bear too much misery. Ylen, a Michigan mother of two young boys, said she was battling cancer
A Michigan mom who claimed to be battling cancer and a rape survior is being accused of fraud and her community is reeling.
Saturday, May 18 2013 9:11 PM EDT2013-05-19 01:11:00 GMT
DAMASCUS, Va. (AP) - Witnesses in southwestern Virginia say a car has driven into a crowd at a festival parade. Several people appeared to be hurt, but the nature of their injuries wasn't immediately
An elderly driver plowed into dozens of hikers marching in a Saturday parade in a small Virginia mountain town.
Saturday, May 18 2013 9:01 PM EDT2013-05-19 01:01:59 GMT
A team that played football for years has reunited to pay tribute to their coach who died from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.It was the fifth year for the Dave Calabrese Football Blitz, but
It was the fifth year for the Dave Calabrese Football Blitz, but the first without Calabrese, who died just days ago after a battle with ALS.
Saturday, May 18 2013 7:57 PM EDT2013-05-18 23:57:12 GMT
While the most intense of the severe weather will be in the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley, it is possible that we could see some severe thunderstorms, as early as Monday night, especially west of the Toledo metro area.
While the most intense of the severe weather will be in the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley, it is possible that we could see some severe thunderstorms, as early as Monday night, especially west of the Toledo metro area.