How To Protect Yourself Against Dangerous, West Nile Mosquitos In Las Vegas
I grew up in the Midwest. So when I moved to the desert, I thought I would be free from mosquitos in Las Vegas. But, boy was I wrong.
You may have noticed an increase of mosquitos in Las Vegas. On top of that, there has been flashing headlines with fear-inducing words like “West Nile” and “St. Louis encephalitis.” You should definitely be taking these precautions seriously. But, if you grew up in the South, the Midwest and even California, you’ve heard these words for the majority of your life.
The Scientific Reason Why Las Vegas Has A Mosquito Infestation
It’s important for Clark County to keep track on its mosquitos. Since we are a tourist city, our public health system runs a little different. West Nile isn’t new to the Las Vegas Valley. In fact, the Southern Nevada Health District recorded the presence West-Nile positive mosquitos in the valley since 2004.
We also have a mosquito surveillance program in Southern Nevada that keeps track on the species and population of mosquitos. The team is currently conducting the main reason why Las Vegas has received an explosion of the Aedes aegypti, also known as the yellow fever mosquito, according to Channel 13.
This type of mosquito only needs the tiniest bit of water to lay eggs.
“Since 2017, they’ve (the Aedes aegypti) spread from just six Las Vegas valley zip codes to 43, according to Southern Nevada Health District officials,” Fox 5 reported.
The small amount of water needed to breed mixed with the rainy season has possibly contributed to the explosion of this mosquito population.
How To Protect Yourself From Mosquitos
Any standing water will attract mosquitos. So, it’s best to try and clear any standing water. If there’s anything that can hold water — tubs, fountains, garbage cans — then be sure to clean them out regularly.
Fans also disturb mosquitos from landing on you. So if you plan on having a backyard bbq then taking a few fans on to the patio may save your skin from being itchy later on.
The Center For Disease Control and Prevention also recommends oil of lemon eucalyptus as a natural mosquito repellent. But, DEET is truly the best. Many people are scared of DEET due to the rumors of DEET being cancer causing.
However, the Cleveland Clinic reported that, “Studies show that DEET is quite safe when used as directed. In a 2014 review of the repellent, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found no ‘risks of concern’ to people or the overall environment.”
