BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah, July 30, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials warned Monday that three more mosquito pools have tested positive for West Nile virus in Box Elder County after a water-sample test found the presence of the virus in a pool earlier this month.
A Facebook post by the Box Elder Mosquito Abatement District (BEMAD) on July 16 said the first positive pool, or sample, was from Willard Bay, North Marina, and the virus had only been confirmed in that area at that time.
The BEMAD Facebook post Monday said the district was recently informed by the Utah State Public Health Laboratory that three more mosquito pools have tested positive for West Nile virus in the county.
Two of these samples were from the intersection of 10400 North and 9200 West in Thatcher and the other was from near the intersection of 11600 West and 8000 North in Penrose.
“We have now had four positive pools in Box Elder County this year,” the post said. “The virus has only been confirmed in these few areas, but it is possible that the virus could be more widespread at this point.”
The post also offered advice for residents who are outside after dusk.
“Be sure to wear long sleeve shirts and pants,” the post said. “Mosquito repellent with DEET or Picaridin is also a great way to avoid mosquito bites.”
The post also asks the citizens of Box Elder County to help in cutting back the numbers of mosquitoes. “While we are inspecting and treating many different types of large flooded areas as well as smaller sources such as storm drains in the county, we need the citizens to help by eliminating mosquito sources around their own individual property,” the post said.
“If you have anything that could be retaining water from sprinkler systems or by any other means, we encourage you to try to drain or empty those containers on a weekly basis.”
The BEMAD Facebook page will post updates as they are available.
