With the state coming off its most active West Nile virus season, health officials are reminding people that mosquitoes aren’t just a nuisance — they can spread a potentially serious disease.
Because there is no human vaccine for West Nile virus and no treatment or cure, the best defense is to stop mosquitoes from breeding and biting.
“We encourage everyone to remove areas of standing water around their homes. Just one cup of water is enough to breed thousands of mosquitoes a week,” Dr. Alan Melnick, regional health officer, said in a news release.
To prevent mosquitoes from breeding:
Empty tires, containers and plastic ground covers; change water in bird baths, pet dishes and troughs twice a week; clean clogged gutters; cover trash containers; maintain pools and spas, and make sure covers don’t hold pockets of water.
To prevent them from biting:
Use repellent (the most effective contain DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus); wear protective clothing; try to stay indoors at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active; install or repair screens; put netting over baby carriers when outside.
Last year was Washington’s most active year for West Nile virus, according to the Department of Health. Thirty-eight human cases were identified in 2009, with exposures in either eastern Washington or out of state. The state’s first West Nile death was reported when a Yakima County resident died last year.
“Although 80 percent of people who get West Nile virus show no symptoms, it is a potentially serious disease, especially for people 50 or older,” Melnick said.
About 20 percent of people with West Nile get short-term flu-like symptoms; about one in 150 develop serious illness with symptoms that include headache, high fever, stiff neck, disorientation, convulsions, tremors and muscle weakness.
