Ramping up its efforts to raise awareness about West Nile virus, Delaware County Council has urged residents not to allow water to sand near their properties in areas like recycle bins and rain gutters.

Director Maureen Hennessey Herman, of the county's Department of Intercommunity Health, stressed during the recent council meeting that it is important for residents to get rid of standing water near their properties standing water helps mosquitoes breed and spread faster.

Speaking on the topic, Herman said, "Mosquitoes can breed in the amount of water found in a thimble."

The health department has detected a great number of infected mosquitoes in Pennsylvania over the recent past. In Delaware County alone, there were around six positive mosquito samples as of Thursday.

According to the health department records, the first positive mosquito sample was found on 3rd of May this year in Berks County's Exeter Township.

Health officials have attributed the drastic increase in infected mosquitoes to the unusually warm weather in the spring season.

U. S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., has asked the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to wage an aggressive and strong campaign to keep on educating Pennsylvanians about prevention of mosquito bites and signs of the virus so that infected people can seek quick medical support from doctors.