Summit County Health Director Phil Bondurant said there is a larger-than-normal mosquito presence right now and attributed it to specific environmental factors.
“With our delayed spring and the amount of standing water that we have in and around our areas due to those rainstorms that we had in the cooler temps, we're going to see additional mosquitoes,” he said.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported last week that the mosquito population is as much as double the norm this year in parts of Utah.
As for mosquito-borne illness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report West Nile Virus is the most common disease in the U.S. About one in five infected experience mild symptoms including fever and body aches. About one in 150 develop a serious illness.
Bondurant said despite cases of malaria found in the southeastern U.S., it’s less of a concern in Utah because of the northern climate.
He also reminded people to check themselves after spending time outside, especially in tall grass. A larger tick population is another outcome of the wet winter and spring. He encouraged people to reach out to the health department if they have questions about tick-borne illnesses.
As fall approaches, Bondurant said the health department anticipates a seasonal increase in flu and COVID cases.
“It's always about preparing for the next half year, and what's to come,” he said. “While we don't anticipate there being any real significant issues or efforts around COVID, we do plan on administering whatever recommendations come out in terms of boosters, of course, the flu vaccines and then, come what may, we prep and make sure that we're watching those national trends and international trends to be prepared for what we might be faced with this winter.”
He said his office will locally help make available the quadrivalent vaccine that just got the FDA’s approval, made specifically for viruses that are common this year.
More information is available from the Summit County Health Department here.
