This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Three Salt Lake County adults, ranging in age from 40 to 65 years old, have caught West Nile virus and are expected to recover, the Salt Lake County Health Department announced Friday.
All three of the first reported human cases in Utah this year surfaced around Sept. 1, said spokeswoman Pam Davenport. County officials are not releasing any other details about the adults or where they may have caught the virus.
In 2014, the county recorded two human cases of the virus, but neither was fatal. The last death in the county related to West Nile was in 2007.
The virus, which cannot be transmitted from one person to another, is spread through mosquito bites.
Even as cooler temperatures have come to the Wasatch Front, Salt Lake County officials note that prevention is key.
"We're seeing West-Nile-infected mosquitoes throughout the valley," said Sam Dickson, director of the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District, in a news release, noting, "residents need to do their part to protect themselves, too."
Dickson and his colleagues recommend wearing long sleeves and pants during evening hours, when mosquitoes are most active; using bug repellents and removing standing water from the yard.
— Annie Knox