Nearby Sandy Springs, a mosquito sample found in Wills Park has tested positive for the West Nile Virus, according to a news release from the Fulton County Department of Health Services. The Georgia Division of Public Health notified the department that mosquito samples in six Fulton County communities have tested positive for the West Nile Virus. A mosquito "sample" refers to a collection of mosquitoes from a particular area that is tested for the virus.

"August begins the peak season for West Nile Virus," said Patrice A. Harris, Director of Fulton County Health Services. "The identification of these samples is a reminder to all of us to take precautions when outdoors." "We have about 30 locations strategically placed around the county. And that's from the north, central and south," said Kevin Jones, deputy director of Fulton County Environmental Health Services, in a phone interview today, Aug. 7.

"We don't have any reports of any people having West Nile Virus in Fulton County," he said. The locations of the sites for each positive mosquito sample are as follows:

Tanyard Creek CSO, Atlanta– one (1) positive mosquito sample

Frankie Allen Park, 425 Pharr Rd., N. E., Atlanta one (1) positive mosquito sample

Grove Park (709 Hortense Place, Atlanta)-one (1) positive mosquito sample

Ronald Bridges Park (5285 Lakeside Dr., College Park) one (1) positive mosquito sample

Burdett Park (2945 Burdett Rd., College Park) one (1) positive mosquito sample

(1925 Wills Rd., Alpharetta) one (1) positive mosquito sample Jones said the department passes out information in a half-mile radius around the positive test site. This information asks the residents to "remain vigilant, look around their homes to see if they have any pots, any saucers that may be holding water, and to check bird baths every couple of days and change the water." People going outside are reminded to wear mosquito repellent. If they prefer not to wear it, they should wear long sleeves and long pants, he said.

Did you receive this information from Fulton County? Are you following its suggestions?

"We chose sites that we thought would be most appropriate. We wanted to make sure that we had several in each municipality, and that they were covering or spanning the entire county," Jones said. When the department gets a lot of complaints from a specific neighborhood, they make sure a mosquito trap is set there for the next season.