Armando Cordero, Doña Ana County’s Director of Facilities and
Parks, is cautioning residents of Doña Ana County to be vigilant
during mosquito season, and to take precautions to reduce the
chance of contracting West Nile virus and other mosquito-born
diseases. Two West Nile deaths already have been confirmed in
New Mexico, and one of them was in Doña Ana County. To date in
2007, Doña Ana County has eight confirmed cases of the disease.
Each summer in Doña Ana County, the proliferation of mosquitoes
follows the spring and summer rains, and then lasts into the
autumn season. It used to be that mosquito populations abated in
winter, but heartier varieties of mosquitoes now are found in
the region that survive through the winter months and continue
to bite, Cordero said. West Nile virus has been confirmed in
Doña Ana County since 2003, and it is prudent for every member
of the community to begin taking sustainable precautions to
mitigate mosquito populations, Cordero said. Cordero said most
birds are carriers of