The El Paso County Department of Health and Environment has confirmed that mosquitoes collected in El Paso County have tested positive for West Nile virus. The department is urging residents to apply insect repellant to protect themselves from this threat. This is the first El Paso County mosquito sample to test positive for the virus in 2007.The positive sample was collected in the Fountain Valley area as part of a testing site maintained by EPCDHE. The collection and testing process began June 1 and will continue through August.”This sample happened to come from the Fountain Valley area, but it signals that residents in the entire county are at risk for West Nile virus infection and need to protect themselves,” said Lee Griffen, EPCDHE vector control program director.”We’re seeing mosquito populations at the levels we saw in 2003, which is a serious matter, considering 2003 was the year our county was hardest hit by West Nile virus.”As a result of the large mosquito populations, EPCDHE and the city of Fountain are stepping up efforts to apply larvacide in areas likely to foster mosquito breeding, Griffen said.Application of mosquito repellant containing DEET (at 18 percent to 30 percent) or Picaridin is highly recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.No human cases of West Nile virus infection have been reported in El Paso County in 2007, but the state has recorded two human cases in other counties.
