Mosquitoes in Boulder County have tested positive for West Nile Virus, Boulder County Public Health announced Tuesday.
According to a BCPH release, the mosquitoes that tested positive were collected from a Longmont trap on July 15. No positive tests have been identified in other parts of the county, since.
“We are very happy to see lower overall numbers this season,” said Boulder County Public Health Consumer Protection Program Coordinator Lane Drager.
“However, as we get further into the summer, we are seeing the normal rise in culex populations. Culex are the mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus to humans. So now is the time to take precautions and to protect yourself, your family and your community from West Nile Virus.”
West Nile Virus can be transmitted to humans from an infected mosquito bite, according to the release. While most infections are mild, they can cause encephalitis, otherwise known as inflammation of the brain, or meningitis, which is inflammation of the brain’s lining. Humans with serious infections can also experience loss of vision, paralysis, coma, tremors convulsions and death, BCPH wrote.
Other symptoms can include, fever, extreme fatigue, headache, body aches, and occasionally skin rashes and swollen lymph nodes, according to the release. Humans should expect symptoms to appear three to 14 days after an infected bite. Representatives of BCPH encourage anyone with symptoms to consult their health care providers.
To avoid mosquito bites, residents should use DEET-enhanced insect repellent or an alternative; dress in long sleeves and pants; avoid the outdoors from dusk until dawn; and drain standing water outside their homes, according to the release.
There is no treatment, cure or vaccination for the West Nile Virus.