Southern Nevada Health District announces detection of first West Nile virus-positive mosquitos in Clark County

Julia Romero
·1 min read
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The Southern Nevada Health District announced the detection of the first West Nile virus-positive mosquitoes in Clark County.

The Health District’s Mosquito Disease Surveillance Program trapped and identified the West Nile virus-positive mosquitoes in the 89031 and 89032 ZIP codes. To date, more than 9,000 mosquitoes have been tested in 2024.

Clark County has seen a substantial increase in the number of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Unlike typical mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti are aggressive daytime biters that prefer feeding on people instead of birds. They are persistent ankle-biters, with a single female capable of taking many bites. Since the initial identification of Aedes aegypti in 2017 in four Clark County ZIP codes, their presence expanded to 12 ZIP codes in 2022 and 43 in 2023.

The health district said it urges residents to join the “Fight the Bite” campaign to reduce the impact of mosquitoes. The campaign calls on people to eliminate standing water; prevent mosquito bites by taking proper precautions; and report mosquito activity to the Health District’s surveillance program at 702-759-1633.

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