Only two local mosquitoes — C. pipiens and C. tarsalis — carry the virus. People-biting C. tarsalis thrives primarily in marsh areas, while urbanite C. pipiens prefers to bite birds. "If we do our job right, you won't see much tarsalis in the cities," Dickson said.

While the number of human infections has varied in recent years, equine cases have definitely gone down, Johnson and Dickson agreed. More people are consistently getting their horses vaccinated and that has been "a great thing," Dickson said.

Some people bitten by an infected mosquito feel little effect, but others may develop severe neurological symptoms that can kill, particularly the elderly.

Each year the state's local health departments tell residents to mow their grass and weeds and get rid of standing water in their yards. When mosquitoes become more active, wear long sleeves and pants from dusk to dawn — the hours C. tarsalis favors for flight and bite. And everyone's urged to use a DEET-containing repellent, as well.

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com