The warm evenings of summer are right around the corner and with them will come mosquitoes. Last summer West Nile Virus (WNV), a disease transmitted by mosquitoes, was a big problem in Fremont County. The state of Wyoming had just over 180 cases of WNV, 118 of those cases occurred in Fremont County.

In Fremont County all the cities and towns as well as the Northern Arapahoe and Eastern Shoshone Tribes have mosquito control programs, but despite these efforts there will still be mosquitoes out causing problems.

Fremont County Weed and Pest staff, with the help of the local control personnel, will be monitoring the mosquito populations. We will be trapping mosquitoes both inside and outside of areas that are covered by mosquito control activities. This will help us determine how effective the control programs are and pin point problem areas.

In this area there is only one Wyoming mosquito, Culex tarsalis, which is able to infect people and horses with West Nile Virus. Fortunately this insect, also know as the northern house mosquito, is easy to identify. The Weed and Pest District has purchased the equipment needed to test mosquito samples for West Nile Virus. We will trap mosquitoes across the County and separate out the type that is able to carry WNV. We will then be testing these samples to determine if they are carrying the virus. If and when we find that there is WNV present in the mosquito population we will alert the control personnel as well as public health officials and the public.

In the past we did not know that West Nile Virus was occurring in our area until people or horses became ill and were tested for the virus. It takes weeks from the time infection occurs to when people get sick, go to the Doctor, get tested, and then get the test results back and finally have the case reported to the Public Health Department. With this new program we will be able to determine if there is WNV in an area the same day we collect the mosquitoes. By knowing that WNV is present in an area control efforts can be intensified and the pubic will be notified, allowing for better protection against mosquito bites.