Mosquito pool in Provo tests positive for West Nile

PROVO — With the recent wet weather and 90-degree temperatures in the forecast, it's time for Utahns to put their DEET on.

Utah County health officials announced Friday that one of the county's mosquito pools in Provo has tested positive for the West Nile virus. Last year, Utah County didn't detect the virus until July 22, said Lance Madigan, Utah County Health Department spokesman.

"We knew it was coming," Madigan said. "It was just a lot earlier than we usually see it. We expect to see it pretty widespread before the season is out."

Mosquito pools in Salt Lake, Cache, Box Elder and Washington counties also have tested positive for the virus this year.

When temperatures get into the 90s, female mosquitoes of the species that carry West Nile virus begin to more frequently bite humans as they prepare to lay their eggs, Madigan said. The wet weather Utah has seen in recent weeks has created perfect conditions for more mosquitoes to thrive, he said.

Nine other states also have reported positive tests for the West Nile Virus this year in birds, animals or mosquitoes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only South Dakota has reported a human case of the virus so far this year.

Utah County saw its first case human case in 2003, and it had 65 cases in 2006. Last year, the county only had two of Utah's 69 cases. Madigan said the number of human cases could spike again this year.

"It just varies from place to place and from year to year," he said.

Last year, Colorado reported 576 human cases, California had 379 and Nevada had 12, Madigan said.

Most people who get the virus experience no symptoms, but 20 percent will develop flu-like symptoms — a slight fever, body aches or headaches, he said. Another symptom of the virus is a rash. Different from the H1N1 virus, there are no respiratory difficulties with West Nile.

"As long as they are typical symptoms, people generally overcome it in two to three days," Madigan said of the West Nile virus.

But 1 percent of those with the virus can experience severe symptoms — mobility or vision problems, disorientation, numbness or paralysis — and should visit a doctor immediately, he said.

"For most people, it's less impacting on your life than the common cold," Madigan said. "The problem is the 1 percent."