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The West Nile virus is here, and it's not leaving. It's no longer a question of if we will have an outbreak this year, but when it will happen and how large it will be, Pima County health officials say.

In other words, the West Nile virus is native, it's here to stay, and, like killer bees, it's a Tucson thing.

So far the only positive case of the West Nile virus in Pima County this year has been one that popped up several weeks ago in a "sentinel chicken" from one of the local flocks that are checked periodically for the virus.

Statewide, only two mosquito breeding pools have tested positive for the virus so far this year — one each in Yuma and Maricopa counties.

And except for "a couple California cases, it's quiet across the western U.S.," said Lisa Hulette, epidemiology manager for the Pima County Health Department.

While no positive human cases of the virus have been reported this year, county officials say it's early in the West Nile season. They urge residents to watch out for standing water and avoid mosquitoes between dusk and dawn by using repellent, covering up or staying inside.

"We don't really start finding West Nile until later in the summer," Hulette said.

Monsoon puddles raise public concern about the West Nile virus, said the health department's Karen Martin, but people already should be looking out for mosquito-breeding opportunities they create around their homes — including standing water in plant saucers and pet dishes.

"As monsoon season gets going, we find people call about a puddle," Martin said.

But puddles have to stand three or more days to act as breeding sites for mosquitoes, Martin said. Street puddles that form after rains usually don't last that long, or they won't work for breeding because they're not still enough. Cars splash through the puddles, stirring them up.

So far, county crews are checking only the reported "green pools," such as algae-filled, poorly maintained or abandoned swimming pools. Crews usually check green pools within a day of when they're reported, Martin said.