West Michigan Braces For Potential West Nile Virus This Summer

When will the first person in West Michigan become infected with the West Nile Virus in 2025? We hope it doesn't happen, but it's a scary possibility we have to consider. Every spring and summer, one of the main concerns that parents have is the possibility of their kids becoming infected with an arbovirus, viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes or other insects.

Michigan is well known to have issues with West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, but Michigan.gov is doing everything it can to keep it updated on the possibility of the first human infection of the West Nile Virus, and so far, only one animal has tested positive for West Nile virus infection.

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In last year‘s surveillance, there were nearly 2700 total mosquito pools tested, with nearly 52,000 individual mosquitoes tested. Out of all those testings, 167 mosquito pools tested positive for arbovirus infection out of 6129 pools submitted for testing. Here is how they are highlighting West Michigan currently:

So far in 2025, one bird from Saginaw County and ten mosquito pools from Bay, Kent (4), Macomb, Midland (3) and Tuscola counties have tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). Twelve total mosquito pools from Bay (2), Kalamazoo (2), Ottawa (2), Saginaw (5), and Washtenaw counties have tested positive for Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV).

That's right, Kalamazoo currently has two cases of testing pools that have been found to have evidence of JCV and LAC. It's crucial to make sure you use bug repellent with DEET, Picaridin,  IR3535, Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or para menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone in the ingredients to avoid being bit by an infected bug.