Home/Additional Mosquitoes Test Positive for West Nile Virus

Additional Mosquitoes Test Positive for West Nile Virus


Health District Surveillance Detects Virus Activity in Clark, Nye and White Pine Counties

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 5, 2005

(Las Vegas, Nev., – August 5, 2005) – The Southern Nevada Health District has received confirmation from the Nevada Department of Agriculture Animal Disease Laboratory that additional clusters of mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus. The following is a zip code breakdown of the areas where samples were collected:

Clark County: (new) 89005, 89009, 89119, 89122; (previous) 89007, 89117, 89119, 89134
Nye County: (new) 89003, 89020, 89048
White Pine County: (new) 89301

“The bottom line is, with West Nile virus activity in our area, we all need to take steps to control the mosquito population and protect ourselves from mosquito bites,” said Glenn Savage, director of environmental health for the district.

The following preventive actions are recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce individual risk of mosquito-borne illness:

  • Eliminate areas of standing water, including bird baths, un-maintained swimming pools and sprinkler runoff, which support mosquito breeding.
  • Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens without tears or holes.
  • Avoid spending time outside when mosquitoes are most active, notably at dusk (the first two hours after sunset) and dawn.
  • Wear pants and long-sleeved shirts, when outdoors.
  • Apply an insect repellent containing DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) according to manufacturer’s directions. Repellents containing picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus also have some efficacy. However, DEET is the best-studied and most-effective repellant available.

Zip codes with birds or mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile virus will be updated each Friday on the health district web site at www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org. Any human cases will be released as soon as they are known. So far, there have been no human cases of West Nile virus in Clark County in 2005.

For additional information on West Nile virus, visit the health district website at www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org. The public may also call the West Nile virus hotline at (702) 759-1220 with questions, concerns or to report standing water, dead birds and mosquitoes.

Visit the Media Contacts webpage for media related inquiries.

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The Southern Nevada Health District serves as the local public health authority for Clark County, Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite and North Las Vegas. The agency safeguards the public health of the community’s residents and visitors through innovative programs, regulations, and initiatives focused on protecting and promoting their health and well-being. More information about the Health District, its programs, services, and the regulatory oversight it provides is available at www.SNHD.info. Follow the Health District on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

2018-08-01T11:16:27-07:00
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