Mosquitoes trapped in Weiser test positive for West Nile virus

Mosquitoes recently trapped in Weiser have tested posititive for the West Nile virus, the Southwest District Health Department said.
 The health district also reported that mosquitoes from Fruitvale and Indian Valley in Adams County also tested positive for WNV.
 The positive results in Washington and Adams counties follows numerous other counties in southwest Idaho that have reported WNV-positive mosquitoes in July. They include Canyon, Gem, Owyhee and Payette counties.
 Washington County does not have a mosquito abatement district, so all the mosquito trapping in Weiser and Cambridge is done by the SWDH on a contract with the state of Idaho.
 Jami Delmore, the environmental health supervisor for Southwest District Health, said the mosquitoes that tested positive for WNV in Weiser were trapped in one location along U.S. Highway 95 at the northern city limits on July 30.
 With the positive results, other mosquitoes in the area are likely also positive for WNV, she said.
 Delmore trapped mosquitoes twice in June in Weiser at the community pond and soccer complex and also in Cambridge and WNV was not found.
 At the time she said the health agency would do one more round of trapping and testing at the end of July, which is when WNV-positive mosquitoes were found.
 Mosquito traps are baited with CDC Co2 that attracts the insects. The trapped mosquitoes are frozen and sorted by species. The culex species are the primary known vector of WNV.
 The mosquitoes are then sent to the state laboratory for testing. Positive pools are further tested by the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories for western equine encephalitis or St. Louis encephalitis.
 With the discovery of WNV in local mosquitoes, residents are encouraged to take extra precautions to avoid being bitten.  
 Proactive steps to take include draining any standing water on your property and wearing repellent when outdoors.
 West Nile virus is a potentially serious illness that is usually spread to animals and humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Although most infections do not cause symptoms, one out of five who become infected with West Nile virus show symptoms such as fever, headaches, body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph nodes or a skin rash.
 These symptoms can last for only a few days, or may last for several weeks. Symptoms typically occur from 2 to 14 days after the bite from an infected mosquito.
 There is no specific treatment, but in more severe cases, people usually need hospitalization.
 The local mosquito population typically begins to decline in late August, when the bugs have laid their eggs that will carryover for the winter. The mosquito population noticably drops in September as the nights get cooler.
 No WNV was reported in Washington County in 2018. In 2017 and 2016, there were mosquitoes in and around Weiser that did test positive for the virus during the summer months.
 The first reported mosquitoes to test positive in 2017 were trapped near ponds on Haas Road just outside of the Weiser city limits.