The Jefferson County Health Department has found three more samples of adult mosquitoes that tested positive for the West Nile virus this summer in Jefferson County.
The latest positive samples were collected Aug. 23 in Festus, Hematite and Imperial. The five previous positive samples were collected in Arnold, Cedar Hill, Crystal City, Imperial and Kimmswick.
Terry Hull of the Health Department’s Vector Surveillance and Control division said this year’s results are consistent with results from previous years.
“As far as the number of locations, it’s pretty average,” he said. “However, the actual number of positive test results this season has gone down.”
He said the department does not yet have figures on the number of mosquitoes testing positive for the virus and will not until do a count until after the mosquito season ends with cold weather.
While the number of West Nile discoveries are not out of the ordinary, the Health Department still encourages residents throughout the county to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites and to prevent (or at least minimize) population growth in mosquitoes.
Some protection measures include using insect repellent containing 20-50 percent DEET or Picaridin, wearing light-colored clothing and removing standing water sources that can be sites for mosquitoes to lay eggs in such as old tires, cans, buckets, flower pots or pools.
For more information about the Health Department’s mosquito control efforts or to learn more about preventing diseases spread by mosquitoes, contact the Health Department’s Vector Control and Surveillance Program at 636-797-3737, ext. 150.