No West Nile virus found in local mosquitoes so far

Mosquitoes in Weiser and Cambridge have been trapped and tested twice this summer and so far none have turned up positive for the West Nile virus.
 The Southwest District Health Department handles the mosquito testing for Washington County and other rural counties in southwest Idaho that do not have mosquito abatement districts.
 Mosquito traps were placed in six locations in the county on June 3 and June 24 in Cambridge and Weiser in early June. Mosquitoes were tested twice in June for WNV and St. Louis encephalitis, and SWDH officials hope to test one more time at the end of July.
 Jami Delmore, the environmental health supervisor for Southwest District Health, said plenty of mosquitoes were found around Weiser. Traps were set at the Weiser Community Pond, Memorial Park and the soccer complex, along with a couple of spots in Cambridge.
 The traps  are set out and baited with the intent of catching the culex tarsalis species of mosquito that carry the WNV.
 During the trapping in Weiser, about 20 different species of mosquitoes were found. The mosquitoes are sorted and tested at the state laboratory.
 The number of mosquitoes out this year has been about average. The area south of the Community Pond near the treeline was especially thick with mosquitoes, Delmore said.
 “Overall, it wasn’t too bad considering what we get some years,” she said.
 Delmore said the SWDH receives funding from the state to do mosquito testing in counties within the health district outside of abatement districts. The funding likely will be expended before the end of the summer.
 The health district is spending time this month trapping and testing mosquitoes in Owyhee County, which also does not have a mosquito abatement district.
 One more trip is planned at the end of July to Adams County, and that is when Delmore said she plans to sample Washington County mosquitoes one more time.
 Other counties in Southwest Idaho have reported finding mosquitoes that tested positive for West Nile virus this summer.
 The most recent was in neighboring Gem County, which reported the virus showed up in mosquitoes  trapped on July 15 in the Gem County Mosquito Abatement District during routine surveillance, officials said.
 The district is treating any standing water that is producing mosquitoes and also “fogging” for adult mosquitoes.
 There were no mosquitoes trapped in 2018 in Washington County that tested positive for the West Nile virus, but just like this year the health district did not trap mosquitoes late in the summer due to a lack of funding.
 In 2017 and 2016, there were mosquitoes in and around Weiser that did test positive for the virus during the summer months. Some mosquitoes that tested positive were trapped near ponds on Haas Road.
 The local mosquito population typically begins to decline in 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.
 Last year, 13 counties across the state reported finding WNV-positive mosquito pools. Additionally, WNV infection was reported in 25 people, seven horses, three birds, and one llama.
 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 severe cases, people usually need hospitalization.