No local mosquito testing for West Nile virus this summer

Southwest District Health does not plan to trap and test mosquitoes for West Nile virus in Washington County this summer due to a cut in state funding.
 The public health agency has for years conducted an annual surveillance program for virus-positive mosquitoes in counties that do not have mosquito abatement districts, which includes Washington, Adams and others.
 The SWDH employee who was in charge of the mosquito trapping and testing is no longer with the agency, and the position has not been reassigned, spokesperson Katrina Williams said.
 SWDH will notify the public when a West Nile virus positive human case is identified in any of the six counties that make up the health district, Williams said.
 In previous years, mosquito traps were set up at various locations in Weiser, Midvale and Cambridge starting in June. The culex tarsalis mosquitoes that carry the WNV were tested four or five times each summer for West Nile virus at the state lab.
 The surveillance program provided public health officials with confirmation when the West Nile virus first showed up in local mosquitoes. The public was notified and encouraged to take precautions to avoid getting bit.
 In 2019, the first mosquitoes to test positive for West Nile virus in Washington and Adams counties were discovered in July. The mosquitoes carrying the virus in Adams County were trapped in Fruitvale and Indian Valley. The virus-infected mosquitoes trapped in Washington County were found near the north city limits of Weiser.
 The following month, in August of 2019, the first human cases of West Nile virus in the state were found in two people in Washington County.
 The two local cases were the first in the state in 2019. There were two additional human WNV cases in the county for a total of four cases.
 In 2018, no mosquitoes trapped in Washington County tested positive for the WNV, an unexpected finding considering that neighboring counties had WNV-positive mosquitoes. 
 There were no human cases with the virus. Across the state there were 16 human WNV infections, including one that resulted in death. WNV activity was reported in 18 counties, in mosquitoes, horses, or people.
 Washington, Adams and Owyhee counties are among a few rural counties in Southwest Idaho that do not have a mosquito abatement district.
 Gem, Canyon and Payette counties have formed mosquito abatement districts funded by property taxes. Canyon County’s mosquito abatement district has been around for 20 years.
 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States.  
 It is most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. Cases of WNV occur during mosquito season, which starts in the summer and continues through fall.
 There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat WNV in people. Fortunately, most people infected with WNV do not feel sick.
 About 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms. About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.
 People with symptoms may experience fever, headaches, body aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash typically occurring two to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito.
 You can reduce your risk of WNV by using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants to prevent mosquito bites.