Two months into the typical season, the first cases of West Nile virus are reported in humans in Tulsa County. While Zika is getting most of the publicity nationwide, West Nile remains a much bigger threat in Oklahoma and this area of the state. Kaitlin Snider is with the Tulsa Health Department and she says while there are no cases of Zika being spread by native mosquitoes in Oklahoma, the same isn’t true for West Nile. For the past several years mosquitoes in the state have infected people with cases of West Nile virus.
Two cases of West Nile infected humans in Tulsa County are reported in the past week. There are 11 total cases statewide, but no deaths are reported this year. People over the age of 50 are most susceptible.