Davidson County health officials monitor mosquitoes for West Nile virus

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Mosquitoes love the intense heat and their population appears to be growing in Nashville. Health officials in Davidson County are closely monitoring for cases of West Nile virus.

As of Tuesday — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported human cases of West Nile virus have been detected in thirty-three states this year. Tennessee is one of them. The data showed that five people have tested positive in the volunteer state, but none in Nashville.

Metro Public Health Department (MPHD) officials said that mosquito presence is up in Davidson County with more than 30,000 trapped and tested with more time left in mosquito season. That number compares to the 15,000 trapped and tested by the end of the 2022 season.

“Our team, each week, they’ll set out a collection of traps all across the city. The next day, they’ll come back, collect the mosquitoes from there, send them to the lab for testing for West Nile virus and a few other viruses,” director of communications for MPHD, Matt Peters, told News 2.

While officials said that they have not yet seen any confirmed cases of West Nile virus in humans this year, some testing pools have come back positive, showing that county mosquito populations are carrying the virus.

“We’re going to put mailers in everybody’s mailbox,” Peters said. “We’re also going to set up a few things that take out the larva so that any mosquitoes that were set to hatch there in the recent past no longer will hatch.”

Vanderbilt Univresity bological science and pharmacology professor Laurence Zwiebel told News 2 in May that weather has led to optimal conditions for mosquitos.

“We should always plan, certainly here in Davidson County, that it’s going to be a hot, muggy summer,” Zwiebel said. “And mosquitoes love being out in the hot, muggy weather.”

Officials with the state health department added that there are some things you can do to help protect yourself against the virus:

• Limit outdoor activities between dusk and dawn when mosquito activity is high
• Wear protective clothing and using trusted repellant

“If you’ve got a backyard, check and make sure there’s no standing water,” Peters said. Mosquitoes love standing water to breed on. That’s where a lot of them will lay eggs and hatch.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.