NewsFitness And HealthThe United States is having one of its earliest and worst Nile virus seasons brought by mosquitos and now 600,000 are going to be released in Washington to tackle the carriers21:16, 02 Jul 2026Updated 21:17, 02 Jul 2026Hundreds of thousands of mosquitos are being released in Washington DC as the United States faces one of its earliest and worst Nile virus seasons.‌But these 600,000 male mosquitos are not being sent to target humans, rather to stop of the spread of the virus as they are not biting and are carrying a sterilizing gut bacteria called Wolbachia.‌And so the mosquitoes will seek the biting females to reproduce with, but the females’ eggs won’t hatch which helps control the population.‌It comes as Health officials in the US are encouraging people to use bug spray and mosquito-control efforts due to the especially bad Nile virus season.The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said that it had confirmed at least 48 cases — 38 of them severe — as of June 30. Since 2004, the average number of cases reported to the CDC by the end of June is around 10. Federal health officials said 23 states have reported finding West Nile virus, the most in 10 years.‌Scientists say many people — perhaps tens of thousands each year — are infected but don’t know it because they have no symptoms, or only mild ones such as headaches, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea and rashes.In severe cases, damage to the central nervous system causes potentially deadly inflammation of the brain or spinal cord. Adults older than 60 and people with underlying medical conditions or weakened immune systems face the highest risk of such complications.The Maryland company Bee Safe Mosquito Control is releasing the non-biting males in Washington‌“When they mate with the female, they actually cause that female to then become infertile for the rest of her life,” Todd Montgomery, owner of Bee Safe Mosquito Control, told WTOP. “She’s going around laying eggs that will never hatch.”The Bee Safe Mosquito Control mosquitoes, known as “ZAP males” are targeting the Asian Tiger mosquito which is common in Washington and can also spread other diseases like encephalitis, dengue and yellow fever.The practice has been carried out successfully in other countries across South America as well as in Singapore and Australia. “The tiger mosquito is a non-native invasive species, so removing it will not have a negative impact on the ecosystem,” the company says on its website.Article continues belowWest Nile virus was first reported in the United States in 1999 in New York, and then gradually spread across the country. It peaked in 2003, when nearly 10,000 cases were reported.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Fitness And Health