Panhandle Public Health District offers tips to prevent West Nile Virus
SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (KNEP) - The Panhandle Public Health District is offering tips to help stop the West Nile Virus.
With it being summer, mosquitos are out more common and with them comes the West Nile Virus. The Panhandle Public Health District has a few tips for people to help protect themselves from the virus:
- Applying insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
- Wearing long-sleeved shirt, pants and socks in wooded areas or areas of tall grass.
- Avoiding going out at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
- Eliminating standing water to reduce mosquito breeding sites.
- Keep window screens in good repair,
- Use larvicides that contain Bacillus thuringiensis in standing water that is not easily drainable.
The PPHD is using light traps to capture and monitor mosquito pools to see if any mosquito is infected with the virus. If infected mosquitos transmit the virus to humans some of the symptoms include flu like symptoms, and if serious enough can lead to neurological damage.
People who experience any of these symptoms are advised to go to the hospital immediately and get tested for West Nile Virus.
More information can be found here or by calling 308-487-3600 x108.
