Pest Videos

Transcript

Hi, I'm Dr. Jorge Parada, medical advisor for the National Pest Management Association. Today, I'm going to talk about mosquitoes and West Nile virus.

Mosquitoes are as much a staple of summertime as baseball, ice cream cones, and the 4th of July. But in addition to leaving itchy bites on their human hosts, these pesky insects can transmit a number of dangerous diseases, including Dengue fever, yellow fever, malaria, and West Nile virus.

Of these diseases, West Nile virus is of the most concern in the United States. In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that more than 30,000 people in the U.S. have contracted West Nile virus since 1999.

West Nile virus is a potentially serious illness that is carried from infected birds to humans via mosquitoes. The virus first gained attention in the U.S. in 1999 after an outbreak in New York City was implicated in several deaths. In North America, West Nile virus flares up in the summer and continues into the fall until the mosquitoes die out.

When someone is infected with West Nile virus, they will typically have one of three outcomes. In about 80% of cases, the infected person will display no symptoms and may not even know they have the virus. Up to 20% of people who become infected get what is called West Nile fever. Their symptoms can include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph glands, and a skin rash on the chest, stomach, and back. These symptoms can last for a few days or several weeks.

In less than 1% of cases, infected persons contract severe West Nile disease, such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord). Severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, paralysis, and even death. Symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent.

People typically develop symptoms of West Nile virus between 3 and 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. There is no specific treatment, and milder cases usually resolve on their own and do not require medical attention. However, in more severe cases, people may need to be hospitalized. Depending on the symptoms, a patient may be given IV fluids and put on a ventilator to assist with breathing. It is important to seek medical attention if you develop a high fever with a severe headache or display other signs of severe disease.

Luckily, there are several steps you can take to prevent mosquito bites and reduce your chances of contracting West Nile virus. In the summer months, minimize outside activity between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active. If you must spend time outdoors during peak mosquito times, wear long pants and sleeves and use an insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.

In addition, you can deter mosquitoes from breeding on your property by eliminating areas of standing stagnant water around your home, such as flower pots, bird baths, baby pools, and other objects where water collects. Mosquitoes can breed in as little as a half-inch of water, so a thorough check of all items that can collect water is important.

Thanks for watching this episode of Health Checks. That's all the time we have for today.