Meadows retention basin
The first case of West Nile virus was found in a Pinal County resident this week. The county fogged several areas last weekend, including Maricopa Meadows, where areas like this retention basin had standing water after weeks of monsoon rains. Photo by Brian Petersheim, Jr.

 

The Pinal County Public Health Services District confirmed Tuesday it found the first human case of West Nile virus (WNV) of the 2021 mosquito season in a Pinal County resident.

The county did not say where the person was infected.

“Pinal County Public Health Services never releases specific locations, same as when we had the initial COVID cases,” county spokesman James Daniels said. “Essentially, they don’t want residents in one particular area to panic, and at the same time, they don’t want residents of other locations around the county to get complacent, if that makes sense.”

WNV is a mosquito-transmitted disease, the most common in the continental United States. The disease was introduced in the country in 1999 and the first case in Arizona was detected in 2003. From 2016 to 2021, there have been 12 other confirmed cases and 12 probable cases in Pinal County.

Most people exposed to the virus don’t get sick, but about 20% develop minor symptoms like headache, fever, muscle and joint aches, nausea, and fatigue. For a very small percentage of those infected – less than 1% – the virus affects the nervous system, leading to a more serious illness.

People age 60 and older, or those with certain comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension and cancer, are at greater risk to develop severe illness.

Pinal County Vector Control personnel routinely trap, identify and test mosquitoes for the virus. Mosquito abatement focuses on removal of breeding sites and biological control of disease-spreading mosquitoes where possible. Other abatement activities, such as mosquito fogging, are based on surveillance data.

The county conducted fogging in the Maricopa Meadows area last week.

Vector control personnel work with residents to remove or treat standing water and implement other safety measures that can help prevent mosquitoes from spreading disease.

The mosquito season starts in the summer and continues through fall.

For more information on mosquito prevention and control, or to file a complaint, visit pinal.gov/ehs or call 866-287-0209.

https://www.inmaricopa.com/county-fogging-for-mosquitos-to-combat-west-nile/

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