4 More Die Of West Nile In Arizona Since Last Week

PHOENIX, AZ — Four more Arizonans died of West Nile virus this week, bringing the total for the year to 18, according to information from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

As of Wednesday, there were 153 confirmed cases of the virus in Maricopa County and 134 probable cases for a total of 287. There were four confirmed cases and eight probable cases in Pima County along with 10 confirmed cases and 25 probable cases in Pinal County.

Other counties in the state saw cases numbers at zero or one. The total number of confirmed and probable cases in the state as of Wednesday was 342, according to the state.

As of Sept. 29 there had been 12 West Nile deaths in Maricopa County this year, according to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.

There were only three cases and one death in Maricopa County at the same time last year. Last year was one of the area’s driest years on record. This year was Tucson’s third-wettest Monsoon on record and Phoenix had the second-most days with measurable rain during the Monsoon.

That moisture has played a big factor in the number of West Nile virus cases this year.

“Water that’s standing for three days or longer is an ideal breeding site for mosquitos,” said Gregg Bustamante, environmental health technician with Pima County.

He recommends that people are diligent in keeping an eye out for standing water, and contact their health department if they see water standing for 3-5 days. He also advises to keep up on replacing water in dog dishes and bird baths and to repair outdoor leaks expeditiously.

People can also protect themselves, Bustamante said, by wearing mosquito repellant and avoiding the outdoors around dawn and dusk.