VIDALIA — Tropical Storm Isaac washed away breeding grounds for the West Nile virus, but an increase in infections is possible as residents spend more time outside cleaning up storm damage.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said during a press conference this week that states in Isaac’s path shouldn’t expect rain from the storm to increase the spread of the disease.

“These hurricanes and flood events tend to disrupt the entire ecology of the area and interrupt this natural transmission cycle between birds and mosquitoes the virus normally exists in,” Dr. Lyle R. Petersen, director of the C.D.C.’s Division of Vector-borne Infectious Diseases said. “The end result is, really, hurricanes and floods don’t have a major impact on our virus transmission.”

Mosquitos that spread West Nile breed in small, nutrient-rich pools of water that can collect in a spare tire or in a backyard, Petersen said.

“When you get a big rainfall event, many of those small pools of water are simply washed away,” Petersen said. “On the other hand, if the water has been sitting around for a long time and then creates small pools of water…that can promote mosquito breeding sites.”

Vidalia Street and Sanitation Superintendent Lee Staggs said the rain from Isaac increased the potential area for mosquitos to breed, but that doesn’t necessarily increase the chance of residents getting the virus.

“There’s just so much water on the ground right now where they can go lay their eggs,” Staggs said. “The mosquitos that were here before the storm might have gotten swept away 40 miles, but we could have gotten other ones from different areas.

“There’s no way to tell that, but the rain does give the mosquitos more area to breed in.”

And with more potential areas to breed, the more mosquitos Staggs and his crews will be fighting in the coming days.

“There will be more mosquitos to treat, but we’ve been in touch with our mosquito guy where we buy our chemicals and he told us to just be on the lookout,” Staggs said. “We’ll start spraying again Monday and treating all the drains, ditches and other areas.”

A small increase in the numbers of West Nile cases were reported in some areas of Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, Petersen said, but those were related to residents being outside more after the storm.

“These were thought to be due to increased outdoor exposure that occurred when houses were severely damaged and during recovery efforts,” Petersen said. “There were a lot of workers out there and homeowners taking care of downed trees and the like.

“But if you look at the overall picture, (Isaac) really is not expected to have a major impact at all on what’s happening across the country.”

On Wednesday, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals reported 145 cases and nine deaths from the disease so far in 2012. The DHH normally reports updated figures on Friday, but no new numbers were available because of Isaac.

On Monday, the Mississippi Department of Health reported 110 cases and four deaths from the disease so far in 2012.

Three cases of the West Nile virus have been reported in Concordia Parish — two were neuro-invasive, and the other was asymptomatic.

One case has been confirmed in Adams County.

The neuro-invasive disease is the more serious form of the virus that infects the brain and spinal cord and can cause brain damage or death. The DHH states that 90 percent of cases of West Nile Virus are asymptomatic.

In its worst cases, West Nile Virus can result in encephalitis or meningitis. In milder cases, it results in nausea, fever, headache, vomiting, muscle weakness and swollen lymph nodes.

Across the nation, the CDC has received reports of 1,590 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 66 deaths.

Those numbers are shaping up to come close to or exceed the total number of cases reported in 2002 and 2003, when 3,000 neuro-invasive cases and 260 deaths were reported each year, Petersen said.

Both agencies suggest residents dump out containers that collect water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding and to apply insect repellent containing DEET to avoid contracting West Nile.