MINNEAPOLIS — Whether you’ve been eaten alive or spared this summer, health officials say don’t let your guard when it comes to mosquitoes just yet.
Minnesota Department of Health epidemiologist supervisor Elizabeth Schiffman says mosquito-borne diseases peak at the end of summer into early fall when there is a larger mosquito population and they’ve had more time to circulate viruses.
“I don’t think it’s something where want people to panic about of course, but definitely knowing that the risk is there and this time of year is definitely the highest risk time,” Schiffman said.
In Minnesota, six mosquito-borne diseases are on the radar of health officials: West Nile virus, La Crosse encephalitis, Jamestown Canyon virus, Western equine encephalitis, Eastern equine encephalitis and St. Louis encephalitis The most common is the West Nile virus .
“We see cases every year, but some years we have a lot of activity and some years not so much,” Schiffman said.