04/27/2007: "Those Damn Bugs Are Coming Back"

The San Juan County Health Department wants you to know the following: This is the time of year when mosquitoes become active and people start spending more time outdoors enjoying gardening, hiking and other activities. San Juan County Health and Community Services is once again reminding county residents to protect themselves against mosquito-borne illnesses, such as West Nile Virus.

In 1999, West Nile virus first appeared in the United States in New York City. The virus has been moving west since 1999 and was first detected in birds in Washington State in 2002. Last year the first human cases were detected in our state.

The risk of getting West Nile virus is very low, but anyone can become infected. People over 50 years of age have the highest risk of serious illness. Most people who are infected with West Nile virus will not get sick. About 1 in 5 people infected will have mild symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches. Even fewer, about 1 in 150 people infected, will have more severe symptoms. Severe symptoms may include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, paralysis, and coma. If you have any of these symptoms, contact your health care provider.

There is no human vaccine for West Nile virus. The best way to protect yourself and your family is to avoid mosquito bites and reduce the places mosquito live and breed around your home. Take these steps:

• Make sure windows and doors are "bug tight." Repair or replace screens.
• Stay indoors at dawn and dusk, if possible, when mosquitoes are the most active.
• Wear a long sleeve shirt, long pants, and a hat when going into mosquito-infested areas, such as wetlands or woods.
• Use mosquito repellant when necessary. Read the label and carefully follow instructions. Take special care when using repellent on children. Them a Home
• Empty anything that holds standing water—old tires, buckets, plastic covers, and toys.
• Change water in your birdbaths, fountains, wading pools and animal troughs at least twice week.
• Recycle unused containers that may collect water—bottles, cans, and buckets.
• Make sure roof gutters drain properly: and clean clogged gutters in the spring and fall.
• Fix leaky outdoor faucets and sprinklers.
Repellents that contain DEET are the most effective. DEET products come in lotions, creams, gels, sprays, and towelettes. Products containing DEET must be used properly. Read and follow instructions on the label. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web page has more information on insect repellents (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/RepellentUpdates.htm).
San Juan County Health & Community Services is conducting surveillance activities in an effort to detect the presence of the virus before any human cases occur. Dead bird surveillance is a key to tracking the West Nile virus, as the disease in dead birds has usually been shown to precede human cases. Crows, ravens and jays are especially susceptible to dying from the disease, making them good test samples for WNV. Anyone who finds a dead bird is asked to report it to the Health & Community Services department at (360) 378-4474.

More information regarding West Nile virus is available on the State Department of Health West Nile virus Web site (www.doh.wa.gov/WNV), by calling the State Department of Health’s toll-free info line, 1-866-78VIRUS, or by contacting San Juan County Health & Community Services at (360) 378-4474.