ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. (WIVB) – West Nile Virus has been identified in “numerous” mosquito pools in Erie County through routine testing, the Erie County Department of Health confirmed Monday.
The department is strongly recommending that all residents prevent being bitten by mosquitoes wherever they are.
“I want to remind residents how to minimize their exposure to mosquitoes: limit outdoor activities at times of high mosquito activity (dusk and dawn), cover as much as skin as possible with clothing when going outdoors and use an effective insect repellant that contains 25-30% DEET on exposed skin,” Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein said. “These same precautionary measures will also help protect people from other insect-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, carried by ticks.”
West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne illness that’s transmitted through a bite from an infected mosquito.
There are no medications to treat or vaccines to prevent WNV infection, a press release from the health department said.
The health department is offering the following tips to avoid contact with mosquitoes and ticks:
* Eliminate local mosquito breeding sites–mosquitoes develop in standing water
* Do not leave standing water for longer than two days before dumping it out
* Change water in birdbaths and planter bases every two days
* Clean clogged gutters to allow rainfall to drain freely
* Reduce exposure to mosquitoes–avoid mosquito bites by limiting outdoor activities during the times of high mosquito activity at dusk and dawn.
* Use barriers to protect skin, like mosquito nets/screens for baby strollers/playpens, long sleeves/pants, socks/shoes, and hats
* Discourage mosquitoes from biting. Mosquitoes are attracted to people by odors on the skin so avoid wearing scented lotions or cologne/perfume
* Mosquitoes are also attracted to the carbon dioxide exhaled from the breath, but we do not recommend you stop breathing.
* Use an effective repellent with a concentration of 25 to 30% DEET during outdoor activities.
* Spray on skin & then rub it in
* Do not spray on the face–spray on your hands and then rub it on your face
* Reapply repellant after sweating or getting wet
* Products with lower concentrations of DEET need to be reapplied more often
* Do not use on cuts, irritated, or infected skin
Reduce Ticks in Your Yard
* Keep lawns mowed and edges trimmed; clear brush, leaf litter and tall grass around the house, and at the edges of gardens and stone walls
* Stack woodpiles neatly away from the house, preferably off the ground
* In the fall, clear your yard of all leaf and garden litter, where ticks can live in the winter
* Keep ground under bird feeders clean so small animals that can carry ticks into your yard are not attracted
* Avoid Direct Contact with Ticks
* Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter
* Walk in the center of trails. Stay on cleared trails when walking or hiking; avoid the edge habitat where ticks are likely to be
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