The Oklahoma State Health Department’s mosquito surveillance program has identified mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus in Kay and Payne counties, according to reports from local news outlets.
At least nine counties in Oklahoma have identified West Nile in mosquito populations this year. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control show most of those in the southern part of the state, but local reports from the Stillwater News Press and Kay News Cow indicate virus-carrying mosquitoes are also farther north.
West Nile season usually runs from May through November, peaking right around now. The CDC hasn’t reported any human infections in Oklahoma yet.
Last year, the state recorded four cases where people contracted West Nile but found evidence of more in blood donor pools.
The State Department of Health recommends wearing insect repellants when you’re outside and draining standing water, which mosquitoes use to breed.
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