Mosquito season brings potential dangers

By GIOVANNI P. ROSSI, Staff writer
The Hancock County Health Department and West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health are warning residents of the upcoming mosquito season and its possible dangers.

Jolene Zuros, registered sanitarian with the county health department, stated West Nile virus and La Crosse Encephalitis are most common in the summer and fall. She noted these are two of the most common diseases carried and transferred by mosquitoes.

“These cannot be spread by human to human contact,” she said. “You severely reduce your chances of getting either of these diseases by reducing the number of mosquitoes in the area you live in.”

According to Zuros, these insects breed in stagnant water. Removing liquids from cans, bottles, wading pools, and bird baths can minimize or eliminate these breeding grounds, she reported. She also recommended cleaning out gutters and drilling holes in the bottom of recycling containers to reduce the accumulation of still water.

West Nile virus and La Crosse Encephalitis have common symptoms, Zuros said. Both can cause headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, Zuros noted. More severe symptoms of West Nile include extensive fatigue and confusion while La Crosse Encephalitis may cause seizures and paralysis.

“We have been testing birds in West Virginia for several years,” Zuros said. “The last positive test in Hancock County for West Nile was in 2005.”

Zuros reported dead birds which appear to have died of natural causes are collected and tested for multiple diseases. She asks that individuals who find dead birds contact their local health department in order for them to be transported to the West Virginia Office of Laboratory Services in South Charleston.



(Rossi can be contacted at grossi@weirtondailytimes.com)