LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Southern Nevada Health District said Monday that it’s set a new record for mosquito activity this early in the year and it’s also receiving an increasing number of complaints from the public.
The district’s Mosquito Surveillance Program reported as of June 6, 91 pools, comprising 3,081 mosquitoes from 16 zip codes, tested positive for West Nile Virus, and two mosquito pools, comprising 46 mosquitoes from two zip codes, tested positive for the virus that causes St. Louis encephalitis.
The spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito in the region has caused the increased numbers. “Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are known to be aggressive daytime biters that prefer feeding on people instead of birds and have tested positive for West Nile Virus for the first time in Clark County.,” the health district reported in a news release.
Minimizing mosquito activity this summer as health district detects West Nile virus in Clark County
According to SNHD, the last time mosquitoes in Clark County tested positive for St. Louis encephalitis was in 2019 and there have not been any human cases since 2016. People can catch the virus if bitten by an infected mosquito however most people will not develop symptoms. About one in five people will get sick and experience a fever, headache, rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue.
Some people — about one in 150 people — will also develop a neuroinvasive form of the disease that causes encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord).
According to SHND, “There was minimal West Nile virus activity reported in 2020, 2021, and 2023. In 2019, 43 human cases were reported.”
Mosquito surveillance reports can be found at this link. You can also find a map showing where the mosquito activity is in the valley.
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