This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The season's first human case of West Nile virus surfaced last week in Salt Lake County, followed by confirmation this week of an infected horse in Iron County.
Both exposures are believed to have happened in southern Utah.
"No mosquito pools have tested positive in Salt Lake County," said Salt Lake Valley Health Department spokesman Nicholas Rupp. The adult who tested positive has a mild form of the disease, he said.
But health officials are urging people to continue to protect themselves against summertime's disease-carrying pest, the mosquito.
Just because West Nile hasn't been detected in northern parts of the state doesn't mean it's not here, said Rupp. "Summer was late this year, so the mosquito season may last a little longer than usual, possibly through October."
Prevention is simple, said Utah Department of Health epidemiologist Melissa Stevens Dimond, who recommends that people use insect repellent while outdoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes that carry the virus are most active.
She also recommends wearing long sleeves and long pants and clearing your home of any puddles or stagnant water where mosquitoes can breed.
About 80 percent of people infected with West Nile virus never show symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Health officials say if you have symptoms — including, a high fever, severe headache and stiff neck — contact your doctor immediately. Anyone can be infected and become ill, but severe illness and death is more common in people over 50.
For more information : http://www.health.utah.gov
Kirsten Stewart