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The latest data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment lists 83 counties in Kansas that are at high risk of contracting West Nile virus. Of the 105 counties in the state, those who present a "moderate risk" are found in the northeastern part of the state, on a line that extends north and north. east of Chase County to the Missouri and Nebraska borders.
"High risk" counties cover all of western, central and southeastern Kansas. Wichita, Hutchinson, Salina, Garden City, Dodge City, Hays and Pittsburg are among the most populated and high risk cities.
KDHE states that the high level of risk is based on "a high number of identified West Nile virus mosquitoes and a high number of historical West Nile virus cases in humans".
The environmental conditions for a county in the "high risk" category include above normal temperatures, using the average daily temperature for two weeks. Mosquitoes thrive where there is standing water, but the risk is high, even if a county has not experienced recent rainfall.
According to the KDHE, "at high risk for West Nile," people over 50 or immunocompromised may consider modifying their outdoor activities to avoid mosquito rush hours (from dusk to dawn) This is in addition to preventive measures such as spilling or evacuation of stagnant water at least twice a week and wearing a mosquito repellent, as well as sleeves long pants, from dusk to dawn.
The most recent KDHE data showing West Nile county-by-district risk follow a report last week from the Sedgwick County Health Department, warning that the number of mosquitoes carrying the virus is the highest in six years.
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