Poeple must protect themselves from the WNV.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Oakland County Health Division has urged residents to take active measures of protecting themselves against the WNV mosquitoes.
According to L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Executive, seniors over 60 years old are most vulnerable to the West Nile Virus, so they should be extra careful.
Also, children, people with weak immune systems, and pregnant women must be aware as well because even if the WNV is usually a mild illness, 20 percent of the infected people experience more severe symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue.
The announcement was made after a mosquito pool in Oakland County had been tested positive for West Nile Virus a couple of days ago. The disease-carrying mosquitoes were spotted in Saginaw County as well.
According to Kathy Forzley, health officer and manager of Oakland County Health Department, most people do not experience any symptoms even if they get infected with the virus. However, everyone should take active measures of prevention, especially seniors after 60 years and people who have other health conditions.
Around one percent of the people who become sick develop a devastating form of the WNV, known as the neuroinvasive disease, which attacks the nervous system. Humans get infected with this mosquito-borne illness through the bite of disease-carrying mosquitoes.
Patterson underlined that the Oakland County Health Division would keep observing the activity of the mosquitoes. Also, the agency offers a set of safety guidelines to which every Oakland County resident should stick.
Wearing protective clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts and pants, will significantly reduce the risk of getting bitten by these insects. Then, people should avoid spending time outside at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
Another important advice would be for people to prevent these disease-carrying mosquitoes from breaking into their houses. Door and window screens will keep them at bay.
When spending time outside during the day, residents must wear a good mosquito repellent that has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The label of the product will provide all customers with the instructions they need.
But most importantly, all people must make sure that there is no source of standing water around their houses because they are the ideal environment for WNV-mosquito breeding. Trash containers, roof gutters, flowerpots, birdbaths, pools, toys, planters, buckets, and tires are the places where mosquitoes usually swarm.
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