West Nile virus found in Tri-Cities for 1st time this year. How to protect yourself
The first Tri-Cities mosquito of the year infected with West Nile virus has been found near homes in south Richland.
It follows the discovery about 10 days earlier of multiple mosquitoes positive for the virus just across the Benton County line in the Grandview Sewage Lagoons in Yakima County.
Those were the first in the state of Washington this year, and more are likely to be in Benton and Franklin counties until cooler weather arrives in late September or October.
There have been no human or animal cases of the virus yet this year in Washington. The last known cases of people sick enough be hospitalized were in 2021. A horse and an alpaca also were infected that year.
The last death reported from the virus in the Tri-Cities was a woman in her 70s in 2016.
After the infected mosquito was discovered recently in south Richland south of Hills West, staff of the Benton County Mosquito Control District started going door to door to notify residents in the area.
Most people infected with West Nile virus will not feel sick, according to the Benton Franklin Health District.
About one in five people who are infected with the virus will develop a fever and other symptoms such as a headache or body aches.
However, West Nile virus infection can be serious, resulting in encephalitis, meningitis or other complications, including permanent neurologic effects, in about one out of 150 cases.
People with certain medical conditions that affect the immune system — such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension or kidney disease — are at greater risk for serious illness, according to the health district.
West Nile virus primarily causes infections in birds. It can spread to people and other animals, including horses, through the bite of a mosquito infected by feeding on a bird.
Horses can be vaccinated against the virus, but no vaccine is available for humans.
The best way for people to prevent the disease is to take steps to lessen the chance of a mosquito bite.
The health district recommends:
▪ Drain sources of standing water around your home each week so mosquitoes do not hatch.
The mosquitoes most likely to spread West Nile virus prefer to breed in water found in containers, tires, buckets and other small sources of stagnant water. One female mosquito can lay 250 eggs in a batch that can turn into 250 adults within a week.
▪ If possible, stay indoors during prime mosquito-biting times — dusk and dawn.
▪ If you go outside at those times use a mosquito repellent with ingredients approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, including DEET, picaridin, PMD, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus
▪ Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Windows and doors without screens should be kept shut, especially at night.
▪ Dress with long sleeves, pants, and a hat when mosquitoes are present.
