LAS VEGAS -- Eight cases of West Nile Virus have now been confirmed by the Southern Nevada Health District. The health district says each of the victims contracted a serious form of the virus, but thankfully no deaths have been reported.
For the last few years, abandoned green pools have been a breeding haven for mosquitos. Now the rain storms we got last week definitely added to the mosquito population.
Female mosquitos look for small bodies of water to lay their eggs and it only takes one week for those eggs to turn form larvae to full-grown mosquitos.
"With the dipper, we look for larvae -- we set traps. If we have mosquitos or larvae in the bodies of water, we treat that so when it rains, we know it is going to be a little bit more busy for us," said SNHD Environmental Health Specialist Larry Rogers.
Clark County Vector Control looks for larvae around the county. Typically, things will die down in October or November. For the last week, they've been out in full force treating random pools of water that were left behind from the rain storms.
The health district say eight reported cases of West Nile is typical for a given year. However, the victims all suffer from the neuroinvasive form of the virus, meaning the virus made its way into the brain or spinal cord. This can lead to meningitis and maybe even nerve damage. However, this serious form is not common.
"For most healthy people who get the virus, the virus doesn't make it into their brain or their spinal cord. It stays in the blood stream, so it causes just the fever, aches and flu-like systems. It's the one with the weakened immune systems that have the opportunity to get into the brain and the spinal cord and those really sensitive areas," said SNHD Disease Investigator Devin Barrett.
The majority of the eight victims were more than 70-years-old. The good news is that they are all expected to make a full recovery. It's also unclear when the victims contracted the virus. The incubation period can range from one to four weeks.
