NE reports first positive test for Cache Valley virus in a mosquito pool

(Courtesy Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services)

LINCOLN — Nebraska health officials have reported the state’s first positive test for Cache Valley virus in a mosquito pool since they started testing mosquitoes for that virus this year.

According to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, its west central district on Aug. 6 collected samples from a mosquito pool in Lincoln County as part of the state’s mosquito surveillance program.

A DHHS spokesperson said this was the state’s first testing of mosquitoes for CVV. She said limited expanded testing of mosquito samples began this year as well for the Jamestown Canyon and LaCrosse encephalitis viruses.

CVV is spread to people by infected mosquitoes. Human disease from the virus is rare, with only seven cases ever reported in the United States. However, according to DHHS, all those have resulted in serious diseases such as infection of the brain (encephalitis) or lining around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis), and three resulted in death.

Initial symptoms can include fever, headache, nausea and sometimes rash.

State health officials said that CVV is known to cause reproductive disease in animals, primarily sheep, but also cattle and goats leading to stillbirths and birth defects in those animals if they’re infected at a specific period during pregnancy. CVV does not cause disease in adult animals.

“Sporadic animal cases of CVV infection have been reported in Nebraska previously making it a potential veterinary pathogen in the state,” the DHHS statement said.

CVV is only transmitted to people and animals through mosquito bites and not by direct contact with infected animals, said DHHS. Currently no treatment or vaccine exists for CVV disease. Preventing mosquito bites is the only way to reduce the risk, Nebraska officials said.

West Nile and Jamestown Canyon viruses have also been detected in Nebraska mosquito samples during 2024. DHHS said that although summer is waning, it encourages protection against mosquito bites, as mosquitoes remain active until the first hard freeze.

Recommended preventative steps:

• Use a repellent registered with the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency.
• Wear protective clothing such as loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts, and pants.
• Avoid dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
• Check weekly on your property for standing water and water-holding containers and empty, drain, or treat with a mosquito dunk to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

More information is available on the DHHS web site.

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