NATCHEZ — West Nile virus, a potentially fatal virus spread largely by mosquito bites, has been confirmed in Adams County.

According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, a West Nile case was confirmed in a human late last week. There are currently 13 cases of West Nile confirmed in humans in Mississippi.

Birds and some mammals, such as dogs and horses, can carry the virus.

West Nile initially manifests itself with flu-like symptoms that may include fever, headache, muscle weakness, nausea, rash, swollen lymph nodes and vomiting.

The virus can cause encephalitis — a fatal inflammation of the brain — in humans and horses.

The Center for Disease Control recommends avoiding mosquito bites by using insect repellent, wearing clothes that limit skin exposure and avoiding being outside during the peak mosquito hours between dusk and dawn.

It is also recommended to install or repair screen doors and windows and to clean out any standing water, which may act as a mosquito breeding ground.

Locally, city and county governments are fighting the spread of the disease through mosquito abatement programs.

Adams County Road Manager Curly Jones said county work crews will be spraying for mosquitoes around the county’s bodies of water, and anyone who wants to pick up mosquito larvacide — which will kill mosquito larvae — to put in bodies of water in their property may do so at the Road Department’s 406 Liberty Road location.

Several employees were recently sent to a seminar to learn more about mosquito abatement, Jones said.

The City of Vidalia also sends a few employees to educational conferences to enhance their mosquito abatement program, said Vidalia street department head Lee Staggs.

The city has a mosquito fogger that sprays three times a week during peak mosquito season, but they cut it down to once a week once weather starts to cool, Staggs said.

The city also places larvacide tablets in ditches and culverts.

“We put it wherever we think mosquito larvae might be,” Staggs said.

Concordia Parish has had a mosquito abatement program since the early 1960s, Concordia Parish Police Jury Secretary Russell Wagoner said.

The district encompasses all of the municipalities and all of the unincorporated areas in the parish, Wagoner said.

The City of Natchez also has a truck with a mosquito fogger, but it has been out of commission for about a month because of mechanical problems, Natchez Public Works Director Eric Smith said.

The public works department will likely resume its spraying and larvacide routine this week, Smith said.