LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Southern Nevada's mosquito population has exploded in recent years, raising concerns about the spread of disease across the Las Vegas Valley.
Now comes the question: Do you want more done to combat the problem?
WATCH | How you can let county officials know your thoughts about Southern Nevada's growing mosquito population:
Many longtime locals can remember the days when mosquitoes weren't a problem in Las Vegas, but times have changed. In the summer of 2024, I talked to a number of people about the mosquito problem after hearing concerns from many of you.
Experts I've interviewed tell me summer after summer, a breed of mosquito called Aedes aegypti continues to surface in more areas of our valley. Last year, more disease was detected, including more cases of West Nile virus.
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"We've also set recent records for West Nile virus...having the most positive mosquito pools in the U.S. Southwest last year, so mosquitoes are changing," said Louisa Messenger, a mosquito expert and assistant professor of public health at UNLV. "We are making the ecology and environment here in Clark County more hospitable for them to proliferate."
Messenger has worked with our local health officials and closely studied the mosquito population. While there is vector control for county areas, Messenger thinks a bigger department or abatement district covering the valley could be a solution.
This week, her department at UNLV launched a new survey to gauge community concerns and determine if residents would support creating a valley-wide mosquito control program.
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"What we'd like to do is to essentially ask the community here in Clark County, are mosquitoes a public health problem? Are they a nuisance? Are they biting you in and around your house or when you're outside in the community? And if so, if you do feel that they are an issue, should something be done about it?" Messenger told me.
I took a look at the survey. It takes about five minutes to complete and asks a number of questions about your living conditions and whether or not you notice the mosquito problem.
The survey will be up all summer long, and the data will be used for a presentation to the county later this year.
"I think the county needs to understand the significance, or essentially the scale, of the issue," Messenger said.
The survey is available in English <b>here</b>. The Spanish version is available<b> here.</b>
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