The New Mexico Department of Health is warning residents to take precautions against mosquito bites amid the threat of West Nile virus, a bug-borne disease that has been detected in Bernalillo County.
The agency has not identified any human cases of West Nile virus in New Mexico this year. However, routine monitoring along the Rio Grande by the city of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County found mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus.
“While mosquitoes are not currently widespread due to dry conditions, we continue to see them concentrated in wet areas,” said Nick Pederson, Albuquerque’s urban biology division manager, in a statement. “As we enter the monsoon season, we are asking residents to check their yards and neighborhoods for standing water that could become a mosquito breeding source.”
With West Nile virus common throughout the U.S., New Mexico tends to see some cases each year. In 2025, the state saw 52 cases and 11 deaths, state Health Department data shows.
“We do see cases every year, and unfortunately we also see deaths every year due to this virus,” Dr. Erin Phipps, state public health veterinarian for the New Mexico Department of Health, said in an interview.
The disease spreads through a network of birds and mosquitoes. Birds serve as reservoirs of West Nile virus, Phipps said, and mosquitoes can spread it to humans after feeding on birds.
Most people who get West Nile virus are asymptomatic. When symptoms do appear — in about 10% of cases — they often include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches, according to the state Health Department.
About 1% of cases turn into the neurologic form of West Nile virus, a severe and dangerous version of the disease that can cause inflammation of the brain or its lining, seizures, loss of vision, disorientation and death, according to the CDC. Older adults and people with other health issues are at higher risk of developing this more serious form of the disease.
The threat of West Nile virus caught lawmakers’ attention during this year’s legislative session.
The state Legislature considered Senate Bill 79, which would have appropriated $2 million to the Department of Health for mosquito surveillance, prevention and mitigation through fiscal year 2028. The measure died without making it to the House.
However, the state’s budget bill included $1.8 million to the state Health Department for “mosquito surveillance, prevention and mitigation.” Up to $1.5 million of that money will go to local governments and educational institutions for mosquito-related programming.
While Albuquerque and Bernalillo have for years monitored mosquitoes along the Rio Grande, the additional funding will expand that effort statewide starting July 1, Phipps said.
“The goal is to track the prevalence of West Nile virus infection in these mosquitoes,” she said. “And when we see those rates rise, we know that it’s time to get the word out to our communities that it’s extra important to take those preventative measures against mosquitoes.”
