Ron Lynch
Mosquito District Manager

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1732
Gardnerville, NV 89423
Phone: (775) 782-4642
Fax: (775) 782-5866
rlynch@co.douglas.nv.us

The Douglas County Mosquito Abatement District is a special voter-approved district authorized under Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 318. The district has its own separately elected board, and is not under the jurisdiction of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners. As originally formed, the district provides service to a core area of Douglas County (click here for the service area map). The Board of Douglas County Commissioners has entered into a contract with the Mosquito District to provide services to the balance of the county outside the district service area.

The District has one full-time employee and utilizes additional seasonal employees to form a small but highly trained unit responsible for the prevention, elimination or control of mosquitoes and other arthropods known to be potential carriers of infectious diseases, or presenting a public nuisance.

Human West Nile Virus infections have been reported in Douglas County. While the district actively eradicates mosquitoes throughout the County, residents play an important role as well. Call the Mosquito Abatement District at (775) 782-4624 to report infestations of mosquitoes. If no one is available to answer your call, please leave a message. Your call is important and staff will respond either by phone or by taking action to eradicate mosquitoes in your area.

Prevention is also key in reducing the spread of West Nile Virus. The following preventive actions are recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce individual risk of mosquito-borne illness:

Eliminate areas of standing water, including bird baths, un-maintained swimming pools and sprinkler runoff, which support mosquito breeding.

Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens without tears or holes.

Avoid spending time outside when mosquitoes are most active, notably at dusk (the first two hours after sunset) and dawn.

Wear pants and long-sleeved shirts, when outdoors.

Apply an insect repellent containing DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) according to manufacturer’s directions. Repellents containing picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus also have some efficacy. However, DEET is the best-studied and most-effective repellant available.

West Nile virus most often is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus to humans and other animals when they bite. West Nile virus is not spread through casual contact such as touching or kissing a person infected with the virus.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most people infected with West Nile virus will not develop any type of illness or experience symptoms. It is estimated that 20 percent of the people who become infected will develop West Nile fever. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness and body aches.

Approximately one in 150 persons (less than one percent) infected with West Nile virus will develop a more severe form of the disease, West Nile encephalitis or meningitis. Symptoms of the more severe disease include severe headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis.

While there is no specific treatment for West Nile virus infection, people who have been exposed to mosquitoes and experience symptoms of the more severe illness are encouraged to contact their health care provider immediately.