Tulsa Health Department Starts Setting Mosquito Traps Ahead of Summer

As summer approaches, so does mosquito season. The Tulsa Health Department said it has started setting mosquito traps. It will start testing them and let the public know if they find any carrying the West Nile Virus, which in rare cases can be deadly.

The Tulsa Health Department said it will be setting about 20 traps a week throughout the county. It will also respond with a spraying truck to areas that see high numbers of mosquitos or if West Nile is detected in a specific area.

Looking back at the last three years in Tulsa County alone, the health department reports only a handful of people had West Nile Virus. THD reported in 2019, there were four cases of West Nile and one of those patients died.

2020 saw zero cases. Last year, three Tulsa County residents were infected with the Virus, and the health department reported that one of those people died.

Mandy Dixon with the department's Environmental Health Services Program said now is the time for people to start looking for places around their yards that could be potential breeding sites, like bird baths, flower pots or toys with standing water.

“You can give us a call we’ll come and take a look and see if you do. And we’ll be happy to help try and prevent them so we don’t get eaten up by mosquitos this summer,” Dixon said.

You can make an official complaint about mosquitos in your neighborhood by clicking here.