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West Nile virus found in three Utah counties

(James Gathany | CDC | The Associated Press) This file photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a feeding female Anopheles Stephensi mosquito crouching forward and downward on her forelegs on a human skin surface, in the process of obtaining its blood meal through its sharp, needle-like labrum, which it had inserted into its human host.

  | July 17, 2018, 2:37 p.m.

The West Nile virus has been detected in mosquitoes in three Utah counties — Box Elder Davis and Uintah — the first time that's been confirmed in Utah this year.

There have been no reports of human infections, but the Utah Department of Health urged Utahns to take precautions.

One in five people who contract West Nile develop symptoms such as fever, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea and a rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people recover quickly, but about 1 percent of those infected develop severe neurological illnesses like encephalitis or meningitis that can be fatal.

In 2017, the West Nile was also detected in mosquitoes in Cache, Carbon, Davis, Duchesne, Salt Lake, Uintah and Utah Counties. Hillcrest High School football coach Cazzie Brown died of meningitis believed to have resulted from West Nile in August 2017.

According to the Box Elder Mosquito Abatement District, the virus was detected in a sample was from Willard Bay, North Marina, “but it is possible that the virus could be more widespread at this point.”

Authorities urged Utahns to take precautions, including wearing long-sleeve shirts and pants; using mosquito repellent with DEET or Picaridin; and to get rid of any standing water on their property.