Nile prevention virus west

About 1 out of infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness. You can reduce your risk of WNV by using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants to prevent mosquito bites.

At the time three neighboring municipalities had mosquitoes test positive for West Nile Virus. We have handed out informational brochures and informational coloring books in English and Spanish at public events throughout the year.

Contacted MDA and got on the waiting list in October of The status now has changed to active in the program, as voted by City Council. This pilot program consists of three traps, monitoring mosquitos, and testing for West Nile Virus on a two week cycle.

Trapping begins the week of May 27th and ends the week of Sept 16th. The pilot program only sprays if a there is a positive test for West Nile Virus. This program was requested by Public Works, it is not a program being utilized anywhere else in the state. Testing the adult mosquito for West Nile virus, Zika and several other mosquito-borne diseases is very important. These diseases are endemic in Maryland and are transmitted through the bite of a mosquito. In the absence of a vaccine, prevention of WNV disease depends on community-level mosquito control programs to reduce vector densities, personal protective measures to decrease exposure to infected mosquitoes, and screening of blood and organ donors.

Personal protective measures include use of mosquito repellents, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and limiting outdoor exposure from dusk to dawn. Using air conditioning, installing window and door screens, and reducing mosquito breeding sites around the home, can further decrease the risk for WNV exposure. More information on personal protective measures can be found here. Blood and some organ donations in the United States are screened for WNV infection; healthcare professionals should remain vigilant for the possible transmission of WNV through blood transfusion or organ transplantation.

Any suspected WNV infections temporally associated with blood transfusion or organ transplantation should be reported promptly to the appropriate state or local health department. People with confirmed WNV infections should not donate blood for 4 months after their illness.

Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Nevertheless, avoid bare-hand contact with dead animals. To dispose of a dead bird, use gloves or double plastic bags to place it in a trash bin.

There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat West Nile Virus in people. Ten percent of infected people develop symptoms. These symptoms can include: fever, diarrhea, rash, vomiting, body aches, and headache. Most people recover completely from West Nile Virus. While others experience fatigue and weakness for weeks and months. About 1 in people infected with West Nile virus develop severe symptoms, including convulsions, disorientation, coma, tremors, muscle weakness, vision loss, high fever, stupor, headache, neck stiffness, numbness and paralysis.

People over 60 years old and people with immune-compromised conditions are at a higher risk for severe illness.