With July 4th just around the corner, public health officials are encouraging residents to take precautionary measures to avoid exposure to mosquitoes. In May, the Unified State Laboratory: Public Health (formally the Utah Public Health Laboratory) confirmed West Nile virus in a mosquito pool collected in Washington County. Since then, Local Mosquito Abatement District officials throughout the state have noticed an increase in mosquito activity and have begun sending additional mosquito samples for West Nile virus testing.

Not all mosquitoes carry West Nile virus. The mosquitoes that do carry the virus are typically out from dusk to dawn. It is important to wear mosquito repellent that contains DEET or Picaridin, as well as wear long sleeves and long pants when you are outdoors during those times. Mosquitoes breed in places where there is standing water, including birdbaths, swimming pools, old tires and plant containers. You can help prevent mosquito breeding by looking for and eliminating these places in your yard.

West Nile virus infections in humans are rare, but they do occur. Since 2003, there have been 329 confirmed human cases of West Nile virus in Utah, as well as 8 deaths. Symptoms of the severe form of West Nile virus include: high fever, severe headache and stiff neck, disorientation and confusion. If you are experiencing symptoms of West Nile virus, contact your health care provider immediately.

“West Nile virus is now a yearly presence in Utah and it isn’t going away,” said Summers.

Summers, epidemiologist, UDOH. “Even though our numbers of human cases have decreased in recent years, it’s important to understand that West Nile virus has established itself in mosquito populations in the state. We expect the virus to cause a variable number of human cases from year to year, with some of those cases being quite severe or even resulting in death,” Summers added.

In 2009, Utah reported two cases of West Nile virus in people aged 6-86 years, with no deaths.

WNV surveillance in Utah is underway and will continue throughout the summer and fall.

For more information, call your local health department or visit www.health.utah.gov/wnv Throughout the WNV season, the UDOH Web page will be updated each Wednesday with available detection information.

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