Q: What do we need to do to protect ourselves from the West Nile virus that some mosquitoes can carry?

A: West Nile virus is a potentially serious disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “About one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness. The severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent. Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected have symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last for as short as a few days, though even healthy people have become sick for several weeks. Approximately 80 percent of people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.”

West Nile virus originates in birds, particularly crows and closely related species. When the mosquito bites an infected bird and then bites a person, the virus is passed on. We have had far fewer cases since the virus first became a problem and that is because the descendants of the birds that originally carried the disease have developed a resistance to it, thus the mosquitoes biting the birds aren’t picking up the virus as readily as they did four years ago.

Should we be concerned? Of course, as even a few cases can be serious, and we want to avoid them if we can.

What can we do about the mosquitoes that are biting us, even if the disease factor isn’t as serious as it was several years ago?

– Make sure you have good screens on your windows and doors to keep mosquitoes and other insects out.

– Empty standing water from flowerpots, buckets, barrels and similar containers.

– Change the water in birdbaths weekly.

– Keep wading pools empty and on their sides when not in use.

In other words, don’t provide breeding grounds for the mosquitoes.

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