With COVID-19 apparently finally on the downturn, Utahns may breathe a sigh of relief for a freer summer season, but health officials are warning that vigilance is still required for another virus: West Nile.
Experts are concerned that more than twice as many mosquitoes hatched north of Salt Lake City in May. A recent survey by the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District measured 960 mosquitoes in the rural area – a sharp change from the 400 expected on average over the past five years.
The mosquitoes will be sorted by type in the Salt Lake Mosquito Abatement District laboratory in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 27, 2021. Laura Seitz, Deseret News
This sharp rise is likely due to the melting snow from mountains around the Salt Lake Valley, which drips into more swampy areas at its base. The water stays there, confiscated and stagnated, and becomes a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes in warm temperatures.
In the industrial surveillance zone between Salt Lake City International Airport and State Route 201, mosquitos increased by an average of 75%. Any of these mosquitoes could transmit the West Nile virus, and the only way the Ministry of Health can tell is by monitoring and testing the population.
Unlike last year when COVID-19 complicated testing on West Nile in mosquitoes, testing is expected to continue as normal throughout the summer as more broods hatch and more department staff are vaccinated.
Grid view
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Sam Nelson (left) and Seth Summerhays, both from the Salt Lake Mosquito Abatement District, will use a chain machine to spray VectoBac 12AS, a biological larvicide, to kill mosquito larvae in the wetlands north and west of Salt Lake City on Friday, May 28, 2021 .
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Sam Nelson of the Salt Lake Mosquito Abatement District moves a spray nozzle back and forth as he and his co-worker Seth Summerhays spray VectoBac 12AS, a biological larvicide, with a chain machine to kill mosquito larvae in the wetlands north and west of Salt Lake City Friday, May 28 May 2021.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Salt Lake Mosquito Abatement’s Sam Nelson moves a spray nozzle back and forth as he and co-worker Seth Summerhays spray VectoBac 12AS, a biological larvicide, using a chain machine to kill mosquito larvae in the wetlands north and west of Salt Lake City on Friday. May 2021.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Biologist Christian Weinrich removed mosquitoes from a freezer in the Salt Lake Mosquito Abatement District laboratory in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 27, 2021.
Laura Seitz, Deseret News
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Biologist Christian Weinrich photographed a mosquito sample in the laboratory of the Salt Lake Mosquito Abatement District in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 27, 2021.
Laura Seitz, Deseret News
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The biologist Christian Weinrich removed the bycatch from a mosquito sample in the laboratory of the Salt Lake Mosquito Abatement District in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 27, 2021.
Laura Seitz, Deseret News
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Vector control intern Abby Pickett will sort mosquitoes by type at the Salt Lake Mosquito Abatement District Laboratory in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 27, 2021.
Laura Seitz, Deseret News
No cases were reported in mosquito pools or in humans until the West Nile test was updated on Thursday.
“We don’t want people to be stressed out all summer and stay indoors,” said Hannah Rettler, a zoologist and vector-borne epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health. “We just want people to be aware of mosquito areas. It’s about knowing what your risk is and how to protect yourself. Then you don’t have to sit down and actively worry. “
This year against the last
Although West Nile infected only two utahns in 2020, Salt Lake City Mosquito Repellent District executive Ary Faraji said a year of few cases means little because of the nature of the West Nile virus and the mosquitoes that carry it next year.
“Many of these viruses are cyclical in nature,” Faraji said. “Some years can have many positive cases, and in some years we will see decreased activity due to natural ecological cycles or interventions. But these pathogens never go away. “
In fact, the cyclical nature of the disease is one of the main reasons why it seems to be “forgotten” in the summer. Residents may remember a lot of good years, hiking in nature as the temperature rises, and keeping mosquitos in the back of their minds until they encounter one, Faraji said. By then, it’s too late to go back and grab a detergent, and one bite can be enough for a potentially dangerous infection.
West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, but the disease itself is currently incapable of infecting most people. It must be kept between bird-biting mosquitoes and birds; One infected mosquito bites a bird, which exacerbates the disease, and then another uninfected mosquito becomes ill and again exacerbated the same bird’s exacerbated disease. This positive feedback loop means it will take a few months for the virus to build up in mosquito pools. According to Faraji, we probably won’t see infected pools until late June.
However, this does not mean that the virus cannot be spread by then, especially in risk groups. The test point in the first few months of May is to find out the rate of transmission of the field infection or the spread of the disease among mosquitoes. When they reach a threshold of infected mosquito pools, control districts must step up control efforts to stop the transmission. These efforts may include trapping, managing water drainage systems to remove stagnant water, and physical shielding on rain barrels to control the numbers of larvae and pupae that are pregnant therein.
What’s the harm?
In contrast to the novel coronavirus, there is neither a vaccine against the West Nile virus nor drugs that can be used to localize the disease itself. Some symptoms of the infection, such as a fever or 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, including muscle weakness, cramping, loss of vision, numbness, and death. People over 50 are at higher risk, as are people with certain medical conditions or organ transplants.
“We can experience reduced transmission or reduced cases,” Faraji said. “But due to the fact that it is still out there, we need to be vigilant, have an established control program and educate the public about what they can do to reduce personal risk.”
Tips to avoid mosquito bites and possible exposure to the West Nile virus:
- Avoid areas with high mosquito sightings. If you’re planning a trip at dawn or dusk, check the mosquito monitoring map and see if your location is at risk.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, and use a repellant approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on exposed areas, especially at dusk and at dawn, when mosquitoes are more common.
- Run a pump in your private pool or pond. If you don’t have a pump, contact your local mosquito control district who can provide pumps and mosquito-eating fish to naturally reduce the population.
- If you have a bird bath, drain the water at least every five days.
- Clip your screen door if you see a crack or a flat tire.
- Place containers where water will collect from rain or sprinklers, especially during peak mosquito hours.
- Report stagnant waters in your neighborhood to a local mosquito control district.
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