The Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department is alerting the public that the first human cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection within the health district of Cedar, Dixon, Thurston and Wayne Counties have been confirmed for the 2016 season.
Mosquitoes collected in the health district have also tested positive for WNV. West Nile Virus is present in Northeast Nebraska.
Prevent mosquito bites by taking the proper precautions below:
• Apply mosquito repellent with DEET whenever you go outdoors. Follow directions when applying repellent on children. Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus have been approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for children over 3 years old.
•Wear long sleeves and pants to limit skin exposure;
• Remove standing water where mosquitoes breed: birdbaths, old tires, clogged roof gutters or wading pools.
•Vaccinate horses.
Mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn when the air is calm, but some will feed at any time of day.
Mild cases of West Nile infection may include a slight fever and/or headache. Severe cases include a rapid onset of a high fever, head and body aches, and usually occur 5 - 15 days after being bitten by a mosquito infected with WNV. Go to your doctor if you have these symptoms during mosquito season (June – September).
ATTENTION: Persons at highest risk for serious WNV illness are:
•Over 50 years old;
•On steroid medicines or chemotherapy.
Healthy children and adults are at lower risk but can still become ill.
For more information: http://www.nnphd.org under the Programs and Services tab or http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/. Stop in at the NNPHD office, 215 North Pearl Street in Wayne for free DEET Insect Repellant wipes. For more information, call the NNPHD office at (402) 375-2200.
