The City of Laurel issued a notice Thursday informing residents of reported cases of West Nile within the city limits of Laurel and the need for citizens to help reduce the possibility of additional cases.

Wanda Benson with the City of Laurel’s Office of Public Relations said the Mississippi State Health Department has “notified officials of the City of Laurel about (an) increased number of cases of West Nile within the city limits of Laurel.”

Benson said the Health Department has recorded five cases of West Nile within the City of Laurel since the beginning of the year. However, Benson said, numbers concerning the number of cases reported in the city at this time last year were not available.

According to the state Health Department’s website as of July 2008 there had been 34 West Nile cases reported so far this year compared to the 27 cases reported in 2007. In July, the state had 22 cases reported compared to the 19 cases reported in July 2007. Jones County has the second highest number, after Hinds County, of reported cases in Mississippi, according to health department and Center for Disease Control statistics.

The website also shows that as of Sept. 9, Jones County had 12 reported human cases of West Nile.

Officials said residents can help keep these numbers down.

“Mac Kitchens with the Pest Control Department for the City of Laurel is asking everyone to be cognizant of containers that hold water around your homes,” Benson said. “Containers holding water are the prime breeding areas for mosquitoes.

“Emptying or removing these common sites of mosquito larvae prevent adult mosquitoes from developing,” Benson added. “The cleaning and storing of these sites are the responsibility of the home or property owner.”

The Department of Health encourages residents to utilize the “Tip Or Toss” method of management to prevent mosquito breeding in most containers.

“People should tip, or rinse, water from containers at least once a week especially during Hurricane Season,” Benson said. “Toss means to take any containers not needed to the landfill.”

Officials also released a checklist of containers to eliminate mosquito breeding areas around residential areas.

“The best way to control mosquito breeding is to reduce breeding areas and lavacide in those areas that cannot be eliminated,” Benson said. “Both the larval and adult mosquitoes must be eliminated in order to combat the mosquito population.”

The Mississippi Department of Health urges all Mississippians to avoid mosquito bites whenever possible.

“The West Nile virus is transmitted primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito,” according to the MDH website. “People cannot become infected through ordinary contact with an infected bird, horse or human.”

The signs of West Nile include flu-like symptoms, headaches and fever.