Four months in, the 2018 West Nile season is a slow one.
"So, in Tulsa County, we have not had a confirmed case of West Nile virus, compared to last year, during 2017, when we saw seven cases," said Tulsa Health Department disease and data specialist Jessica Rice.
While there have been zero human cases reported, the health department isn't sure why that is.
"Perhaps it’s due to our efforts in our larvaciding and adulticiding program that we do have here at the Tulsa Health Department and then also folks in the community taking the actions necessary to prevent mosquito bites, such as wearing DEET and draining their standing water and limiting their outdoor exposure," Rice said.
There have been positive tests for West Nile virus at 15 health department mosquito traps in the county since the surveillance program began in May, many of them around midtown Tulsa. Severe cases of West Nile can be fatal.
There have not been more than 10 reported cases in any season since 2013.
