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Ohio Finds more Mosquitoes Carrying West Nile

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DAYTON, Ohio - Health officials and pest controllers say Ohio weather patterns have caused an increase in mosquito populations this year, including more carrying West Nile virus.

Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman Shannon Libby says 248 pools of mosquitoes collected from traps have tested positive for the virus so far. That's up from 78 by this time in 2010.

Libby tells The Dayton Daily News that there have been no reports of human cases of West Nile in Ohio, which can lead to coma, paralysis and death.

An official with the public health agency serving Dayton and Montgomery County describes the increase as a "bumper crop" of mosquitoes, brought on by the wet spring followed by a dry summer. A mosquito control company says the pests are more plentiful than in years past.

Stories from the Associated Press.