Mosquito surveillance season is underway

Public is asked to help reduce mosquitoes’ impact

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 4, 2023

LAS VEGAS – The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) is kicking off the 2023 mosquito surveillance campaign, calling attention to a potentially early and active mosquito season. SNHD and Clark County are continuing a decades-long partnership in managing mosquitoes throughout Southern Nevada. They work together in setting traps to survey mosquito quantity, species and infected mosquitoes.

During mosquito season, SNHD Environmental Health staff set 50 to 60 traps per day for weeks at a time at parks, wash channels, wetland areas and other potential breeding sites across the valley. Hundreds of mosquitoes are captured in the field and transported in coolers to a laboratory at SNHD’s Main Public Health Center, where they are sorted and cataloged by species and location. The samples are then sent to the Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory to test specimens for harmful arboviruses.

The public is urged to Fight the Bite and help reduce the number of mosquitoes, which can carry serious diseases such as the West Nile and Zika viruses. Fight the Bite calls on people to eliminate standing water, which provides a perfect home for mosquito larvae; prevent mosquito bites by taking proper precautions; and to report mosquito activity to the Health District’s surveillance program at (702) 759-1633. To report a green pool, people should contact their local code enforcement agency. More resources and contact information are available on the SNHD website.

West Nile Virus (WNV) reached unprecedented activity in Clark County in 2019, with 43 human cases, including one death. In stark contrast, there was almost no WNV activity in 2020, 2021 and 2022. For more information about mosquito surveillance, visit https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/programs/mosquito-surveillance.

“Mosquito prevention starts at home, and educating the public is critical to reducing the impact diseases transmitted by mosquitoes can have on our community,” said Dr. Fermin Leguen, District Health Officer for SNHD. Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Clark County Commissioner and Chair of the Southern Nevada District Board of Health, said, “Public health is a shared responsibility and one that we must all take seriously, particularly when it concerns the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile Virus and Zika.”

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.