Clark County has set an unpleasant health-related record
The Southern Nevada Health District on Monday is reporting the highest level of mosquito activity in the program’s history this early in a season. The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) is reporting the highest level of mosquito activity in the program's history this early in a season. As of June 6, 91 mosquito pools, including 3,081 mosquitoes from 16 ZIP codes, have tested positive for West Nile virus. Health officials also advised that two mosquito pools have tested positively for the virus that causes St. Louis encephalitis. The district's mosquito surveillance program has also reported an increase in complaints from the public about mosquito activity. The increase is attributed to the expansion of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes throughout the region, which are known to be aggressive daytime biters who prefer feeding on people instead of birds.
Publicado : Hace 10 meses por Caitlin Lilly en Health
The Southern Nevada Health District on Monday is reporting the highest level of mosquito activity in the program’s history this early in a season.
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The Southern Nevada Health District is reporting the highest level of mosquito activity in the program’s history this early in a season. (Getty Images)
The Southern Nevada Health District on Monday is reporting the highest level of mosquito activity in the program’s history this early in a season.
According to a news release, as of June 6, 91 mosquito pools — comprising 3,081 mosquitoes from 16 ZIP codes — have tested positive for West Nile virus.
Health officials also advised that two mosquito pools — comprising 46 mosquitoes from two ZIP codes, have tested positive for the virus that causes St. Louis encephalitis.
SNHD says that its mosquito surveillance program has also received an increased number of complaints from the public about mosquito activity.
“Increased awareness and reporting of mosquito activity are attributed to the expansion of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes throughout the region,” the agency stated in the release.
According to SNHD, “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.”
Additionally, health officials said that mosquitoes testing positive for the St. Louis encephalitis virus were last reported in Clark County in 2019 and the last reported cases in humans in 2016. St. Louis encephalitis virus is spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito.
The news release noted that people infected with the virus will not develop symptoms. However, SNHD said people who become ill may develop fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. “Some people may 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),” the release added.
For more information on SNHD’s seasonal mosquito surveillance reports, visit: www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/programs/mosquito-surveillance/arbovirus-update.