So COVID-19 is clearly an outswinger, utans may have sighed in relief during the freer summer season, but health officials have warned that another virus, the West Nile, needs to be vigilant.
Experts fear that more than twice as many mosquitoes hatched north of Salt Lake City as expected in May this year. A recent study of the Salt Lake City Mosquito Control Area found this in rural areas. 960 mosquitoes were measured. This deviates significantly from the 400 animals expected in the last five years.
This sharp rise may be due to the thaw of the mountains surrounding the Salt Lake Valley that flows into the Masha area at the base of the mountain. Water stays there, is stored, and stagnates, and when temperatures rise it becomes a great breeding ground for mosquitoes.
In the industrial surveillance area between Salt Lake City International Airport and State Highway 201, mosquitoes also increased 75% above average. Any of these mosquitoes can transmit the West Nile virus, and the only way the Ministry of Health knows about this is through population monitoring and inspection.
Unlike last year, COVID-19 makes testing mosquitoes for West Nile fever more difficult, but testing will continue through the summer as more chicks hatch and more employees are vaccinated. It will probably continue as usual.
Grid view
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Salt Lake Mosquito Aviation District Sam Nelson and Seth Summerhaze are using trucking machines to kill mosquito larvae in the wetlands north and west of Salt Lake City on Friday May 28. Spray the biological larval repellent VectoBac 12AS, 2021.
Scott G. Winterton, Desertet News
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Sam Nelson of the Salt Lake Mosquito Aviation District moves the spray nozzle back and forth, and he and colleague Seth Summerhaze use a truck machine to spray VectoBac 12AS biological larval control and Salt Lake Kill mosquito larvae in the wetlands north and west of the city Friday, Nov. May 2021.
Scott G. Winterton, Desertet News
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Salt Lake Mosquito Aviation’s Sam Nelson is moving the spray nozzle back and forth, and he and colleague Seth Summerhaze plan to kill mosquito larvae in the wetlands north and west of Salt Lake City on Friday. I use a truck machine to spray the biological larvae Vecto Bac 12AS, May 28, 2021.
Scott G. Winterton, Desertet News
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Biologist Christian Weinrich removes mosquitoes from the freezer at the Salt Lake Mosquito District Institute in Salt Lake City, May 27, 2021.
Laura Seitz, desert news
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The biologist Christian Weinrich photographs sample mosquitoes at the Salt Lake Mosquito Aviation District Institute in Salt Lake City on May 27, 2021.
Laura Seitz, desert news
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On May 27, 2021, the biologist Christian Weinrich removed bycatch from the mosquito sampling at the Salt Lake Mosquito Aviation District Institute in Salt Lake City.
Laura Seitz, desert news
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Vector Control Intern Abbey Picket to classify mosquitoes by species at the Salt Lake Mosquito Aviation Institute in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 27, 2021.
Laura Seitz, desert news
At the time of Thursday’s West Nile fever test update, no cases of mosquito pools or people have been reported.
“We don’t want people to be stressed and indoors all summer,” said Hannah Letler, zoologist and vector epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health. I just want people to know where the mosquitoes are. It’s about knowing your risks and protecting yourself so you don’t have to sit down and actively worry. “
This and last year
Only two utans were infected with West Nile fever in 2020, but Ary Faraji, the secretary-general of Salt Lake City Mosquito Control Area, said so due to the nature of the West Nile virus and its vector mosquitos. The fact that the case numbers are small one year means that the next year.
“Many of these viruses are cyclical in nature,” Faraji said. “Some years there are many positive cases, and some years natural ecological cycles or interventions can reduce activity, but these pathogens are not eliminated.”
In fact, the cyclical nature of this disease is one of the main reasons it looks “forgotten” in summer. Residents may remember many good years, hiking in nature as temperatures rise and keeping mosquitos in the corners of their heads until they face them, Faraji said. It’s too late for an insect repellent. For potentially dangerous infections, one bite may be enough.
West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, but the disease itself does not currently infect most people. Needs to be cared for between bird-biting mosquitoes and birds. If one infected mosquito bites a bird, the disease will be aggravated, and another uninfected mosquito will be infected with the same bird’s aggravated disease and re-aggravated. This positive feedback loop means it will take months for the virus to build up in the mosquito pool. According to Faraji, the infected pool will not be visible until the end of June.
However, this does not mean that the virus cannot circulate beforehand, especially in risk groups. The test point in the first few months of May is to determine the rate of transmission in the field, that is, the speed at which the disease spreads among mosquitoes. When mosquitoes reach the threshold of the mosquito infection pool, the control zone must step up its control efforts to stop the infection. These efforts include installing traps, managing drainage systems to remove stagnant water, and installing physical nets to control larval and PP pregnancy in rainwater tanks. ..
What’s the harm?
Unlike the new coronavirus, there are no vaccines to prevent West Nile virus and no drugs to self-identify the disease. Some symptoms of infection, such as a fever and headache, can be treated with bed rest, fluid intake, and over-the-counter pain relievers.
However, about 1 in 150 people infected develop severe symptoms such as weakness, convulsions, blindness, deafness, and death. People over the age of 50 are at increased risk, in addition to people with certain medical conditions and people who have received an organ transplant.
“It can reduce infections and reduce cases,” Faraji said. “But because it’s still there, we need to be vigilant, have an established control program, and educate the public about what we can do to reduce personal risk. There are. “
Tips to avoid mosquito bites and possible infections with the West Nile virus:
- Avoid areas with a lot of mosquito sightings. If you plan to go out at dawn or dusk mosquito surveillance card make sure your location is at risk.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, and apply a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-approved repellant to exposed areas of skin, especially at dusk and dawn when mosquito bites are likely.
- Operate the pump in a private pool or pond. If you don’t have a pump, call your local mosquito control center. You can of course reduce the population by providing pumps and mosquito-eating fish.
- If you have a bird bath, drain the water at least every 5 days.
- If there are cracks or holes, repair the screen door.
- Place a container of water in the rain or sprinkler system, especially during the main mosquito season.
- Report the stagnant water in your area to your local mosquito control center.
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