west nile virus

WDH: “This is clearly Wyoming’s most active West Nile virus season in at least a decade and it does not appear to be over yet."

Mosquitoes spread the virus.

With state-wide reported human West Nile virus numbers on the rise, the Wyoming Health Department is warning people to protect themselves.

The City of Cheyenne’s Weed and Pest Division is asking residents to take precautions after mosquitoes collected throughout the city and Laramie County tested positive for West Nile Virus.

Heavy rains combined with rising temperatures will likely lead to increasing numbers of these mosquitoes in the coming weeks.

Serious diseases sometimes spread by infected ticks in Wyoming include tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) and Colorado tick fever (CTF).

The first mosquitoes found in Laramie County to test positive for West Nile virus this year have been found in Cheyenne, officials announced Thursday.

A recent press release from the Wyoming Game and Fish asks everyone, especially landowners, to report dead sage grouse so the birds can be tested for West Nile virus. There are no signs of an outbreak, but Game and Fish asks people to report annually to aid in the management of Wyoming sage grouse.