Abstract: In 2022, the Tangipahoa Mosquito Abatement District (TMAD) saw record levels of the number of mosquito pools testing positive for West Nile virus. As the numbers of positive pools increased each week, TMAD issued increasingly serious warnings of the potential risk for human infection. Press releases were sent to broadcast and print media outlets. Additionally, these alerts were posted on the TMAD Facebook page. This presentation will show the timeline of WNV activity and the alerts which were posted. Special note will be made of some of the more entertaining and memorable comments which were made by members of the public in response to our warnings. Some of these comments were completely dismissive of the potential threat - either because there was no danger, or that . Others said we were making all this up. Still others seemed to think it was some nefarious plot to wipe the public out.
