West Nile Virus levels among highest  in 20 years in Iowa due to wet and warm conditions that have increased insect numbers.

West Nile virus (WNV) activity is high in Iowa this year — among the highest recorded in two decades, according to Ryan Smith, professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University (ISU).

Wet and warm conditions this summer have spurred an increase in mosquito and tick numbers, raising the possibility of disease transmission, Smith said.

“We are seeing … some of the highest activity in mosquitoes that we’ve seen in the 20 years we’ve been monitoring (West Nile) virus here in the state,” Smith said. “So it is a little concerning.”

Affecting humans and livestock alike, WNV is...