West Nile Coming
Nobody needs to be told how wet this spring is in Wyoming, and with wet springs come the abundance of mosquitoes. The Wyoming Department of Health reminds residents to protect themselves from West Nile virus as the pesky little critters become more abundant. No one should think the low West Nile case numbers Wyoming has seen in recent years means the disease is gone. Infectious Disease Surveillance Epidemiologist Emily Thorp points out that West Nile virus activity in any given year is quite difficult to predict. Among the defensive actions residents can take is wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, socks and shoes, use an insect repellent containing DEET, and drain standing water as much as possible. Last year Wyoming confirmed six human cases of West Nile and no deaths.
