With a combination of the recent warm weather and rainfall, there have been a lot of mosquitoes out and about in the state. July through September are the peak transmission months for West Nile virus in South Dakota but cases have occurred in June. South Dakota State Epidemiologist Dr. Lon Kightlinger says it is too early in the mosquito season to accurately predict how West Nile will affect the state this year…
Kightliner adds that it takes a lot of complex factors for a mosquito to contract West Nile..
Personal precautions are especially important for those at high risk for West Nile – people over 50, pregnant women, transplant patients, individuals with diabetes or high blood pressure, and those with a history of alcohol abuse. Kightliner says cities do a great job with fogging for mosquitoes, but you should also take matters into your own hands…
Since its first human West Nile Virus case in 2002, the state has reported 2,168 human cases, including 677 hospitalizations and 32 deaths.