Protecting yourself from West Nile virus
MONROE - Here are some tips to protect yourself:
• Use effective mosquito repellant and apply according to the label instructions.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, and shoes.
• Mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, so spraying clothes with a repellent containing permethrin or DEET will give extra protection. These repellants are the most effective and most studied.
• Avoid being outside during times of high mosquito activity, specifically around dawn and dusk, during mosquito season (June to September) or other times mosquitoes are active.
• Keep window screens repaired so that mosquitoes cannot enter your home.
• Dispose of discarded tires, cans, or containers left outside that may contain standing water.
• Drain standing water from pool or hot tub covers. Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor saunas and hot tubs.
• Turn over plastic wading pools and wheel barrows when not in use.
• Change the water in bird baths, pet dishes and wading pools every three to four days.
• Keep drains, ditches and culverts clean of trash and weeds so water will drain properly.
• Clean gutters to ensure they drain properly.
- Source: Wisconsin Division of Public Health
The Green County Health Department reported the bird is the first to test positive for West Nile in Green County since surveillance for the virus began May 1.
"The positive bird means that the residents of Green County need to be more vigilant in their personal protective measures to prevent mosquito bites," said RoAnn Warden, the county's health officer and public health director.
The bird was found Aug. 8, bagged and brought in for testing, Joni Marty, RN, Green County Department of Public Health, said Tuesday, Aug. 20.
The Wisconsin Division of Public Health monitors dead birds to indicate if the virus is present in an area.
Marty said once the virus is found in a county, the county is listed as infected and no more testing is required. People can report dead birds found near their homes to the Dead Bird Reporting Hotline 800-433-1610.
The virus is spread by mosquitos that contract it by feeding on infected birds. The West Nile virus can be transmitted to humans, animals or other birds by the infected mosquito taking another blood meal on them.
The Wisconsin Division of Public Health previously reported 40 counties in the state have West Nile virus activity in birds, horses and humans for 2013, as of Aug. 14. Two of those, Eau Claire and Dane, have seen probable human infections, but neither case was hospitalized. The state has tested 45 infected birds. No horses have been found to be infected yet. The survey records only birds, horses and humans.
The first 2013 animal testing positive this year was a crow found dead in Washington County and was reported June 20.
Dogs and cats are susceptible to infection, but more resistant to disease than horses, humans, and some species of birds, according the University of California-Davis Veterinary Medicine website.
The first human cases of WNV in Wisconsin appeared in 2002.