No sign of West Nile on the High Desert

The West Nile virus continues to spread across the country, but the good news: It has not been found on the High Desert.

Since last week, the number of West Nile cases across the country has risen by 40 percent, two of which were human and found in Oregon.

With mosquitoes the main transmitter of the virus, officials on the High Desert aren’t taking any chances.

On Thursday afternoon, a team from the Four Rivers Vector Control District in Sunriver was out setting traps to catch the insects.

“We are constantly doing surveillance and monitoring for West Nile virus,” said Chad Stubblefield, the district’s director. “To this date, we are here at the end of August, and we still haven’t found any.”

As more traps are set along the Deschutes River, officials want to remind you to take the necessary precautions to protect yourself from those itchy mosquito bites.

“You know, we do have a lot of visitors to Central Oregon,” said Stubblefield. “We just remind them to be vigilant and cover your skin. If you don’t give them a place to bite, they won’t bite.”

Officials say they have captured thousands of mosquitoes this summer and so far have not found any cases of West Nile.

Health officials say they believe that the number of cases of the virus have peaked or are peaking now, but they add they likely will continue to see them through October.