Summertime brings outdoor barbecues, picnics, swimming and other fun activities. It also brings out mosquitoes. The Mosquito Abatement District has found the West Nile virus in areas across the county and are encouraging residents to take precautions to protect themselves.

“There are no human cases yet,” said Mosquito Abatement District Manager Gary Hatch. “We’ve found it from the south end of the county to the north. Primarily in the north, northwest locations on a consistent basis.”

Hatch said they do testing in house. “Testing finds the RNA and DNA so we know what kind of virus we’re dealing with. We test in 48 different locations throughout the county each week and 12 of the locations throughout the county 24/7 all summer from May to October. We have 36 additional traps that are tested one night at different locations. Each location is tested at least once a week.”

They only bite from dusk to dawn, said Hatch. “Put on repellent when you go out. DEET and picaridin are the active ingredients and are still very good.”

Wear long pants and long sleeved shirts if possible, he said. “Minimize the traffic in and out of the house. They can readily come into the house and bite while you’re sleeping. Try to use the door that goes through the garage so that there are fewer coming into the house.”

Eliminate standing water, said Hatch. “Buckets, wheelbarrows, kiddy pools, etc. anything sitting.”

There is one species that spreads disease around the house, he said. “The Culex pipiens has a short flight range so it stays close to its habitat.” 

The Culex tarsalis are found mainly in the marshes, Hatch said. “They are strong and can fly 5 to 10 miles. They can pretty much reach up into the foothills.”

Hatch said crews try to look for mosquito larva before they hatch and spray. “They use planes to spray over the marshes. We just sprayed 10,000 acres this weekend.”

Crews spray throughout the summer, he said. “We also do a nighttime spray and cover as much of the county as possible each week.”

West Nile symptoms are flu-like, said Hatch. “Body aches and major headaches, backache and fever. It can be more severe in older or immunocompromised individuals.”

It can become very serious, he said. “You can end up in the hospital, even comatose. Be sure to take precautions when you go out after dusk.”