With a wet winter and late-summer precipitation increasing mosquito populations in the West, a Utah State University expert is urging precautions against bites from mosquitos infected by West Nile virus.

One human virus case was reported from Uintah County this year, with several non-human detections in west central counties. Mosquitos have recently tested positive for West Nile virus in Box Elder County and Salt Lake City.

Alexander Knudsen, a USU Extension arthropod diatnostician, offers the following tips to prevent being bitten by an infected mosquito:

Attracted to water

Mosquitos lay eggs in fresh stagnant water, including man-made pools, ditches, and marshy areas, with thousands of mosquitos developing in seven to 10 days, Knudson explains. Adult females feed on birds, people, and other animals to produce eggs.

Blood feeding is when transmission occurs. Wild birds are considered reservoir hosts, meaning the birds can infect more mosquitos. People and other animals cannot re-infect mosquitos.

While the virus can be fatal to horses, about 80% of people do not develop symptoms when infected, Knudson notes. But the 20% who do may experience headaches, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or a rash. Fewer than 1% of people infected will develop neurological illnesses such as encephalitis or meningitis.

Links to more information on the virus can be found here.

Source: Utah State University Extension.