|
 |
|
Fight The Bite!
Avoid Mosquito Bites to Avoid Infection
When dealing with West Nile virus, prevention is your
best bet. Fighting mosquito bites reduces your risk of getting this
disease, along with others that mosquitoes can carry. Take the
commonsense steps below to reduce your risk:
- avoid bites and illness;
- clean out the mosquitoes from the places where you
work and play;
- help your community control the disease.
Something to remember: The chance that any one
person is going to become ill from a single mosquito bite remains low.
The risk of severe illness and death is highest for people over 50
years old, although people of all ages can become ill.
Avoid Mosquito Bites
Use Insect
Repellent
Use an
EPA-registered insect
repellent such as those with DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon
eucalyptus. Even a short time being outdoors can be long enough to get
a mosquito bite.
Clothing Can Help Reduce Mosquito Bites
When weather permits, wear long-sleeves, long pants and socks when
outdoors. Mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, so spraying
clothes with repellent containing permethrin or another EPA-registered
repellent will give extra protection. Don't apply repellents containing
permethrin directly to skin. Do not spray repellent on the skin under
your clothing.
Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours
The hours from dusk to dawn are peak biting times for many species of
mosquitoes. Take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing
during evening and early morning -- or consider avoiding outdoor
activities during these times.
Mosquito-Proof Your Home
Drain standing water
from around your home
Drain standing water from around your home check Drain Standing Water
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water.Limit the number of places
around your home for mosquitoes to breed by getting rid of items that
hold water.
Install or Repair Screens
Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by having
well-fitting screens on both windows and doors. Offer to help neighbors
whose screens might be in bad shape.
Help Your Community
Report Dead Birds to
Local Authorities
Dead birds may be a sign that West Nile virus is circulating between
birds and the mosquitoes in an area. Over 130 species of birds are
known to have been infected with West Nile virus, though not all
infected birds will die. It's important to remember that birds die from
many other causes besides West Nile virus.
By reporting dead birds to state and local health departments, you can
play an important role in monitoring West Nile virus. State and local
agencies have different policies for collecting and testing birds, so
check the Links to State and Local Government Sites page to find
information about reporting dead birds in your area.
Mosquito Control Programs
Check with local health authorities to see if there is an organized
mosquito control program in your area. If no program exists, work with
your local government officials to establish a program. The American
Mosquito Control Association can provide advice, and their book
Organization for Mosquito Control is a useful reference.
More questions about mosquito control? A source for information about
pesticides and repellents is the National Pesticide Information Center,
which also operates a toll-free information line: 1-800-858-7378.
Clean Up
Mosquito breeding sites can be anywhere. Neighborhood clean up days can
be organized by civic or youth organizations to pick up containers from
vacant lots and parks, and to encourage people to keep their yards free
of standing water. Mosquitoes don't care about fences, so it's
important to control breeding sites throughout the neighborhood.
Find out more about
local prevention efforts
Find state and local West Nile virus information and contacts in Texas
here: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/arboviral/westNile/default.asp.
Excerpted from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/prevention_info.htm
|
|
|
|
