BOULDER CITY (FOX5) — The first West Nile virus-positive mosquitoes were located in the Las Vegas Valley, the Southern Nevada Health District announced Monday.
SNHD said the mosquitoes were found in the 89005 zip code in Boulder City.
The first human case of West Nile was reported by SNHD in April. There were no reported cases in Clark County last year, according to SNHD.
“We know that there is an increased risk for West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne illnesses in Southern Nevada during this time of the year,” said Chief Health Officer for SNHD Dr. Joe Iser in a statement. “I would encourage everyone to take the appropriate precautions to do their part to ensure their homes are free of standing water, use insect repellent appropriately, and to report mosquito activity to our agency.”
SNHD had the following recommendations to prevent mosquito bites and to eliminate breeding sources:
- Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), or 2-undecanone.
- Wear pants and long-sleeved shirts to reduce mosquito exposure when outdoors.
- Eliminate areas of standing water around your home, including non-circulating ponds,
- “green” swimming pools, and accumulated sprinkler runoff, which support mosquito breeding.
