Meade County Mosquito Pool First West Nile Detection Of Season

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota’s first West Nile virus (WNV) detection of the season is a Meade County mosquito pool, a state health official said today. Last year’s first detection was a human case reported in a Hughes County resident on June 27.
“This detection means the virus is here and now being transmitted,” said Dr. Lon Kightlinger, state epidemiologist for the Department of Health. “It’s time to get in the habit of using repellent to protect against mosquitoes.”

Prevent mosquito bites and reduce the risk of WNV with the following precautions:
•    Apply mosquito repellents (DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535) to clothes and exposed skin. Limit exposure by wearing pants and long sleeves in the evening.
•    Limit time outdoors from dusk to midnight when Culex mosquitoes are most active. Culex are the primary carrier of WNV in South Dakota.
•    Get rid of standing water that gives mosquitoes a place to breed. Regularly change water in bird baths, outside pet dishes, and drain water from other flower pots and garden containers.
•    Support local mosquito control efforts.
Personal precautions are especially important for those at high risk for WNV – people over 50, pregnant women, transplant patients, individuals with diabetes or high blood pressure, and those with a history of alcohol abuse. People with severe or unusual headaches should see their physicians.

Since its first human WNV case in 2002, the state has reported 2,168 human cases, including 677 hospitalizations and 32 deaths. Every county has reported cases.

Nationally, WNV has been detected in 15 states to date, with human cases reported in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.

Visit the department’s website at westnile.sd.gov for more information about WNV.