Health officials are continuing to use properties in southern Reno County this summer as one of just three mosquito trapping regions for tracking West Nile Virus in the state.
Reno County became a trapping site in 2017, after three people living within the Turon area zip code died from West Nile complications between 2013 and 2016, said Ingrid Garrison, state public health veterinarian with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Extremely high mosquito counts – more 10 times numbers that normally trigger action – were discovered in some of the first traps set in the region, leading to a concerted response by health experts which included going door-to-door in Turon to advise residents about action and prevention steps.
So far this year, mosquito counts have been high a couple of times, but well below the numbers from 2017 and there have been no pools found with the West Nile Virus.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)