6 Human Cases Of West Nile Found In Utah, Report Shows

The most recent report issued by the Utah Department of Health shows that six human cases of West Nile Virus have been found, reported Fox 13 Salt Lake City.

Out of those six cases, four of them were categorized as neuroinvasive. This means that those cases would include more severe symptoms and conditions like meningitis or encephalitis. The other two cases were categorized as non-neoruinvasive.

Each of the six cases were found in Salt Lake and Davis counties. They were also all found between August 22nd and August 28th.

On average, Utah sees about 12 human cased of the virus every single year. However, only two cases were reported in 2020. These recent six cases were the first cases found in Utah in 2021.

Hannah Rettler, Utah Department of Heath Vectorborne/Zoonotic Epidemiologist, stated:

"West Nile virus is a yearly presence in Utah and it isn’t going away. Even though the number of human cases has decreased in recent years, it is important to understand that West Nile virus has established itself in mosquito populations in the state."

Here are some steps you can take to prevent West Nile:

• wear long sleeves and long pants
• use 20% - 30% DEET insect repellent
• stay indoors from duck to dawn, which are peak hours for biting times
• remove puddles of water or standing water, including pet dishes, flower pots, buckets, and tires
• make sure all doors, windows, and screen coverings fit correctly to prevent mosquitos from entering your home