The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says this year’s West Nile virus season could be among the worst in 20 years, based on reporting from the end of June.
The agency confirmed at least 48 cases across 23 states, 35 of which it says originated in Arizona.
The majority of these cases were in Maricopa County, and five were fatal. That’s more than at this time last year — and much more than in any other state.
Dr. Kim Olson Gibbs is the associate chief medical officer of primary care at HonorHealth Medical Group. She believes Arizona has the highest rates of West Nile virus contraction in the nation because desert dwellers tend to underestimate their risk of mosquito-borne illnesses.
“When was the last time you talked to somebody about bug spray?” Olson Gibbs said. “Here, we think about sunscreen. We think about being well-hydrated, but we don’t think about bug spray.”
She says mosquitoes follow water — something Arizona isn’t often associated with. But it doesn’t take much for them to breed.
“Irrigation systems, flower pots, old tires that may be sitting in an alleyway or in a trash heap or something like that,” Olson Gibbs said. “Anywhere where that water can sit and stand, that’s where the mosquitoes are going to breed and that then becomes a problem.”
“We just don’t think about it here because we think we live in the desert and we don’t have as much water," Olson Gibbs added.
The good news is 80% of people who contract the disease experience little to no symptoms, says Olson Gibbs.
“The vast majority of people, if they do get infected, they may not even know, or have a very mild case,” Olson Gibbs said.
Those 60 and older; people who are immunocompromised; and those with diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease are at higher risk of neurologic illness or death from the virus. According to Olson Gibbs, that risk is still less than 1%.
West Nile virus was first identified in the U.S. 27 years ago. The first case reported in Arizona was in 2003. There is still no vaccine or treatment available for the disease.
Prevention focuses on avoiding mosquito bites by using bug sprays that contain DEET, avoiding standing water and wearing long sleeves and pants at times when mosquitoes are most active — such as dawn and dusk.
Maricopa County has more prevention tips available at this website.
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