West Nile virus found in mosquito samples
County official says it’s not a surprise
Mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus were found in samples near the East Wetlands, officials report.
A press release from the Yuma County Pest Abatement District (YCPAD) reported that nine separate mosquito samples collected along several riparian areas of the Colorado River, including areas within the Yuma East Wetlands, were found to be infected with the West Nile virus last week.
According to Yuma County Communications Director Kevin Tunell, this “shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone,” as mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile for “a number of years now” since the virus was first detected in the United States in 1999.
“One of the beauties of letting everybody know (about these findings) goes with the detection that goes on,” he said. “We have the Yuma County Public Health District, we have vector specialists that go out hunting West Nile so when they do find them, they typically go into a pattern where they
treat that area and they test and retest.”
To eliminate further infection, YCPAD staff have sprayed the areas where samples were found with ground fogging trucks.
According to YCPAD, West Nile — which mosquitoes contract by feeding on wild birds carrying the virus — can only be transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, not by person-toperson contact. According to Tunell, the county has yet to receive its first report of a person contracting West Nile.
As mosquitoes are most active at dawn, dusk and night, it’s recommended that individuals going outdoors during these hours wear insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or lemon-eucalyptus oil. Wearing long sleeves and pants are also encouraged.
“I know it seems crazy here in the desert where we can get so hot, but one surefire method to make sure to minimize the opportunity for coming in contact (with an infected mosquito) is wearing long sleeve shirts, long sleeve pants, maybe treat your clothing and your gear with repellent,” Tunell said.
It’s also important for individuals to check their yards for any standing water, as this tends to be ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes.
“Literally hundreds if not thousands of mosquitoes can be born in a cap full of water, so it doesn’t take a lot of water for a mosquito to be able to lay eggs and create more mosquitoes,” Tunell said. “If you have an old tire in your yard that happens to have a little bit of water sitting in it, that’s a perfect hiding place for a mosquito to lay eggs and populate mosquitoes around your house.”
“Water sprinklers are great, because you don’t have to stand there and water your lawn, they can create small puddles of water in interesting places, so people may want to police their yards around where they live to fare out the places where water collects and dump it all out to take away the breeding place for a mosquito.”
Yuma County residents are asked to report any signs of mosquito breeding to YCPAD at (928) 726-1030 or ycpad1@gmail.com.
More information on the West Nile virus and mosquito control can be found at www.cdc.gov/westnile.