EIDs: West Nile virus in the Central Flyway

Introduction/Objectives: Climate change is slowly altering environmental conditions. It is also enabling spread of vector-borne diseases to new geographic areas. In the Central Flyway region, which includes the region of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas to the Dakotas, rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are expanding the range of diseases like West Nile virus (WNV). Warmer winters in northern parts of the Central Flyway like North Dakota and South Dakota, and warmer winters at the southern end in Texas, have been linked to increased WNV cases. Texas led the United States in cases reported by residents in 2024. We examine how warmer winters in the Dakotas and Texas contribute to the proliferation of mosquito species-<i>Culex tarsalis</i> in the Dakotas and <i>Culex quinquefasciatus</i> in Texas-both of which are primary vectors for WNV. The objective is to explore the relationship between climate change, these mosquito species, and the spread of West Nile Virus, and to highlight the urgency of adaptive public health strategies.