SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — On July 24, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management announced that the level of risk for West Nile virus in the state was elevated to “high,” but what does that mean? According to the state Department of Health (DOH), multiple cases of West Nile virus were found in mosquito samples collected by DEM. The samples were sent to the Rhode Island State Health Laboratories, where the positive cases were found. West Nile virus (WNV) is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the contiguous United States. Some of those actions include using larvicidal Bacillus thuringiensis Israeliensis (BTI), informing the public of risk, and in serious risk cases using aerial sprays.