West nile confirmed in northeast Nebraska

According to a press release from the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department, the first pool of mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile Virus (WNV) has been found within the health district of Cedar, Dixon, Thurston and Wayne Counties for the 2018 season.

Northeast Nebraska Public Heatlh Department suggests the following steps to prevent mosquito bites and the spread of West Nile Virus:

• Apply a mosquito repellent approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) whenever you go outdoors.  This includes repellents with DEET, Picardin, Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or para-menthane-diol (PMD), IR3535, and 2-undecanone. Follow directions when applying repellent on children. Do not use insect repellent on babies younger than 2 months.  Oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol should NOT be used on children under 3 years of age.
• Wear long sleeves and pants when outdoors 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 Virus (WNV) 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).

People at highest risk for serious WNV illness are those over 50 years of age and those on steroid medicines or chemotherapy. Healthy children and adults are at a lower infection risk but can still become ill.