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It’s that time of year again to be thinking
about how to protect yourself against West Nile Virus. We give
you some tips on how to do so.
West Nile Virus (WNV) is here to stay, and the Centers
for Disease Control (CDC), www.cdc.gov, has given some great advice
on how to keep you family and your home safe from this nasty problem.
First, what exactly is WNV? According to the CDC,
West Nile Virus was first isolated from a febrile adult woman
in the West Nile District of Uganda in 1937. The ecology was characterized
in Egypt in the 1950s. The virus became recognized as a cause
of severe human meningitis or encephalitis (inflammation of the
spinal cord and brain) in elderly patients during an outbreak
in Israel in 1957. Equine disease was first noted in Egypt and
France in the early 1960s. WNV first appeared in North America
in 1999, with encephalitis reported in humans and horses. The
subsequent spread in the United States is an important milestone
in the evolving history of this virus. WNV is spread by mosquitoes.
Infection with the virus can cause severe and sometimes fatal
illness. There were over 4,000 cases of WNV in the U.S. during
2002, including 284 deaths. It is likely that all mainland states
in the United States will see WNV activity in 2005.
The next step is to understand the symptoms of WNV.
It affects the central nervous system, and symptoms will often
vary:
Serious Symptoms in a Few People
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.
Milder Symptoms in Some People
Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected will display
symptoms that can include 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 been sick for several
weeks.
No Symptoms in Most People
Approximately 80 percent of people (about 4 out of 5) who are
infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.
So what can you do to help protect yourself and
your family? The key is to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito.
The CDC offers the following tips to help keep WNV at bay:
• When you are outdoors, use insect repellents
containing DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), making sure to
follow the directions on the package.
• Many mosquitoes are most active at dusk
and dawn. Be sure to use insect repellent and wear long sleeves
and pants at these times, or consider staying indoors during these
hours. Light-colored clothing can help you see mosquitoes that
land on you.
• Make sure you have good screens on your
windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out of your home.
• Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying
standing water from flower pots, buckets and barrels. Change the
water in pet dishes and replace the water in bird baths weekly.
Drill holes in tire swings so any standing water can drain out.
Keep children's wading pools empty and on their sides when they
aren't being used.
There is plenty you can do to
prevent contracting West Nile Virus. By following the above tips,
you will be well on your way to keeping the WNV-carrying mosquitoes
out of your life.
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