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NHB Preventive Medicine Takes the Bite out of West Nile Virus

Suspending a tricky mosquito trap… a CDC carbon dioxide (CO2) light trap used in conducting seasonal surveillance and prevention for West Nile vector control on Navy installations in the Pacific Northwest is placed by Naval Hospital Bremerton’s Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Justin Tyler Simmons, Preventive Medicine department leading petty officer and preventive medicine technician. With West Nile virus the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the U.S., the work of NHB’s Preventive Medicine team is imperative to not allow the virus to degrade operational readiness. According to Lt. Anurag Sharma, NHB Preventive Medicine department head and environmental health officer. “Each trap is left over night to provide the best opportunity for trapping region specific species of mosquito. CO2 simulates exhalation that attracts mosquitoes to well dense areas to feed or take a blood meal. As all insects are attracted to light, this helps create a camping environment or what is considered a feeding frenzy for female mosquitoes. When captured, the traps are collected for identification of gender, species and assay testing to provide real time information of disease presence in the area.” (official Navy photo by Douglas H Stutz, NHB/NMRTC Bremerton public affairs officer).