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West Nile Virus
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| August 30, 2012 |
A man living in Sutter County is improving after he was diagnosed with the serious,
neuroinvasive form of West Nile virus illness. This is another reminder that West
Nile virus is present and active in Sutter County and of the importance of protecting
yourself and your family from mosquito bites.
This is the second reported human case in Sutter County this year. The Sutter-Yuba
Mosquito and Vector Control District continues to be very active with monitoring
mosquito activity and mosquito control. As of last week, five WNV positive birds,
18 mosquito collections, and 16 WNV positive chickens have been reported to the
California Department of Public health this year.
As the summer progresses into late fall, the risk for infection for humans, horses,
and other mammals increases. It is very important to make sure to take the
simple precautions that reduce the risk of mosquito bites and becoming infected
with West Nile virus. The 4 "D"s is an easy way to remember how to prevent
mosquito bites:
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D – DEET – use DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535.
These are the EPA approved mosquito repellents to prevent bites; be
sure to follow package instructions for age of person and how to apply
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D – Dawn and Dusk – avoid going outdoors at dawn and dusk when the
mosquitoes that carry WNV are most active
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D – Doors and windows – make sure that the screens on your doors
and windows are not broken or torn
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D – Drain all standing water around the outside of your house –
gutters, jar lids, tires, flower pot trays are some common places
Approximately one in five people who are infected with WNV will develop symptoms,
such as fever, headaches, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea or rash.
Symptoms typically develop from 3 to 14 days after being bitten by an infected
mosquito. Less than one percent of infected people will develop a serious
neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the
brain and surrounding tissues).
The State of California West Nile virus webpage has information about WNV
activity around the state by county, how to report dead birds, and how
to protect against WNV. See
http://www.westnile.ca.gov/
For more information about the work that the Sutter County Mosquito and Vector
Control District is doing to reduce numbers of mosquitoes, go to
http://www.sutter-yubamvcd.org/.[More]  This an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. You can download a free PDF reader from Adobe. |
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