{"id":976927,"date":"2026-08-03T02:18:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T02:18:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/976927\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T02:18:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T02:18:27","slug":"kansas-health-officials-warn-of-high-west-nile-virus-risk-statewide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/976927\/","title":{"rendered":"Kansas health officials warn of high West Nile virus risk statewide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"text | article-text\">TOPEKA, Kan. (KCTV) &#8211; The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kdhe.ks.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.kdhe.ks.gov\/\">Kansas Department of Health and Environmen<\/a>t is warning residents statewide that they are at high risk of being bitten by West Nile virus-carrying mosquitoes. <\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">The KDHE\u2019s Weekly West Nile Risk Assessment &amp; Data Dashboard shows the entire state of Kansas is currently at high risk. <\/p>\n<p><b>What to Know About West Nile Virus<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">Health officials note that many people infected with West Nile virus never develop symptoms. But for those who do, illness can range from mild to life-threatening. <\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">Mild symptoms may include: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"list | article-list\">\n<li>Fever<\/li>\n<li>Headache<\/li>\n<li>Body aches<\/li>\n<li>Rash<\/li>\n<li>Vomiting and diarrhea<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">Severe cases can lead to: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"list | article-list\">\n<li>Neurological infections<\/li>\n<li>Brain damage<\/li>\n<li>Death<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"figure-img img-fluid mx-auto d-block\" alt=\"In this photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a female Culex...\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/WZIVYITBPJCPNKGY33AGCFD46U.jpg\" width=\"980\" height=\"653\" \/>In this photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a female Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito, also known as the southern house mosquito, sits on a person\u2019s skin before taking a blood meal in 2022. (Lauren Bishop\/CDC via AP)(Lauren Bishop | AP)<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">Leaders warn that dozens of Kansans develop neuroinvasive West Nile virus disease every year. <\/p>\n<p><b>Kansas West Nile Virus Data<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">2025 cases: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"list | article-list\">\n<li>1 death<\/li>\n<li>26 neuroinvasive cases<\/li>\n<li>10 non-neuroinvasive cases<\/li>\n<li>Northeastern and South Central Kansas reported the most cases<\/li>\n<li>Those aged 65-75 were most affected<\/li>\n<li>Nearly 67% of cases were in males<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">2026 (so far): <\/p>\n<ul class=\"list | article-list\">\n<li>1 non-neuroinvasive case reported &#8211; a man between the ages of 35-44 in Northeastern Kansas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>How to Protect Yourself<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">The KDHE says that residents should consider the following: <\/p>\n<p><b>Repel Mosquitoes<\/b><\/p>\n<ul class=\"list | article-list\">\n<li>Use EPA-registered insect repellents<\/li>\n<li>Apply permethrin to clothing and gear<\/li>\n<li>Store repellents safely out of children\u2019s reach<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Cover Up<\/b><\/p>\n<ul class=\"list | article-list\">\n<li>Wear long-sleeved, loose-fitting shirts and pants<\/li>\n<li>Avoid being outdoors at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Protect Your Home<\/b><\/p>\n<ul class=\"list | article-list\">\n<li>Keep window and door screens in good repair<\/li>\n<li>Use mosquito netting on strollers and playpens<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Eliminate Standing Water<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">Health officials add that mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water. Eliminating it is one of the most effective ways to reduce risk. <\/p>\n<ul class=\"list | article-list\">\n<li>Tip and toss standing water at least twice a week<\/li>\n<li>Empty water from buckets, tires, tarps and toys<\/li>\n<li>Refresh bird baths and pet water bowls every three days<\/li>\n<li>Keep wading pools empty when not in use<\/li>\n<li>Drill drainage holes in tire swings<\/li>\n<li>Check for hidden water sources like clogged gutters and plant saucers<\/li>\n<li>Stock ponds with mosquito-eating fish<\/li>\n<li>Treat standing water that cannot be drained with appropriate larvicides<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"figure-img img-fluid mx-auto d-block\" alt=\"FILE\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/65AUBQTOKZAUTNFPHR5H7OPRWM.jpg\" width=\"980\" height=\"551\" \/>FILE<b>More Resources<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TOPEKA, Kan. (KCTV) &#8211; The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is warning residents statewide that they are&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":976928,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[11],"tags":[23038,1066,2722,210,17353,19785,340,50,10814,31338,392094,1539,18373,16776,17083,27761,67,132,68,13203,153282,10890,3893],"class_list":["post-976927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-app","tag-facebook","tag-google","tag-health","tag-high","tag-kansas","tag-meta","tag-news","tag-newsbreak","tag-nextdoor","tag-nile","tag-of","tag-officials","tag-risk","tag-statewide","tag-twitter","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-virus","tag-warn","tag-west","tag-x"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117029183700073561","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/976927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=976927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/976927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/976928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=976927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=976927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=976927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}