Top 5 Things to Know: West Nile Virus

So far this summer, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets, along with the Vermont Department of Health, have tested 48,441 mosquitoes from 984 pools for West Nile Virus and other diseases that can affect humans and animals. They expect to find West Nile Virus (WNV), the most common of the mosquito-borne illnesses in Vermont, and on Tuesday, they announced that a pool in Alburgh was found to have mosquitos infected with WNV. These governmental agencies do the testing and announce positive results to raise awareness among Vermonters and to caution them against mosquito bites. Here’s what you need to know.

Apart from avoiding bites, there is no prevention for WNV and no treatment. But don’t panic. Most people who get infected do not become ill. Only one in five develop symptoms, which include a fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. If you have these symptoms, call your doctor. Over-the-counter pain relievers can help manage mild symptoms.
About 1 in 150 people develop serious illness as a result of WNV. People over 60 years of age are at greater risk as are those with cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and people who have received organ transplants. Severe WNV can cause conditions of the central nervous system, including encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord).
There are lots of ways to protect yourself. First, keep yourself from getting bitten. Stay indoors at dawn and dusk, the times when mosquitos are most active. Though mosquitos can bite at any time of day, especially in shaded or wooded areas. Wear long sleeves and long pants in light colors, so insects are easier to spot. Tuck your pants into your socks. For babies, cover strollers and baby carriers in mosquito netting.

Wear repellent on skin not covered by clothing. Use the Environmental Protection Agency’s tool to find the right repellent for you. Follow the label instructions. Do not apply to hands, eyes, mouth, or any open or irritated skin. Don’t spray on skin under clothing. Spray in your hand to apply repellent carefully to your face and the faces of children. If you need both sunscreen and repellent, use a “bug and sun” product or apply sunscreen first followed by insect repellent.
Also protect your home. Use well-fitting screens in your open windows and doors. Repair holes to keep mosquitos outside. Empty standing water from objects outside your home—like tires, toys, trash receptacles, and bird baths—weekly. Mosquitos lay their eggs in standing water. Working to prevent mosquitos around our homes and to prevent bites, we can help the Vermont Department of Health limit the spread of mosquito-borne diseases and decrease their impact on our communities.
If you get bitten despite your prevention efforts, treat the bites with anti-itch ointment. Itching and opening the skin can lead to infection. Be aware of the symptoms of WNV, including high fever, headache, and neck stiffness. If you experience any of these or more serious but very rare symptoms (stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, and paralysis) call your doctor or seek emergency care. Your doctor can test for the diseases, and hospitals can provide supportive treatments.

Using this information, we can prevent mosquito bites and decrease mosquito-breeding habitat around our homes. These efforts limit the effects of West Nile Virus for ourselves and our communities.

Donna Barron, RN, is the infection preventionist at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care, in Bennington.