With warmer weather comes the buzz
– and bite – of the mosquito, but this pesky pest will be
bringing more than a few itchy bites to South Valley residents this
year.
With warmer weather comes the buzz – and bite – of the mosquito, but this pesky pest will be bringing more than a few itchy bites to South Valley residents this year. Since the confirmation of West Nile Virus’ presence in Santa Clara and San Benito counties last fall, it is also possible the critters could be carrying the virus.
“We will have West Nile activity this summer,” said Susan Silveira, a public health nurse and program manager for the communicable disease control division of San Benito County.
Local residents can protect themselves against the itchy, annoying bite of the mosquito – and against the spread of West Nile – with a few simple precautions.
Avoiding the sting of the virus may be as simple as taking adequate protection against the pests, said Vicki Kramer, chief of the vector-borne disease program run by the California Department of Health Services in Sacramento.
Residents are advised to wear mosquito repellent containing the active ingredient DEET, a broad-spectrum insect repellent created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, any time they go outside, selecting differing strengths of the repellent depending on the type of activity they plan on participating in.
Like suntan lotion, DEET repellents come in different strengths, with a spray containing more DEET protecting wearers longer than a spray containing less of the substance, according to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Sweating and water reduce DEET’s effectiveness, so more frequent application is recommended if users plan to be swimming or doing heavy physical activity.
“There are some special considerations for children when you’re putting on mosquito repellent,” said Silveira. “If a child is very young or puts their hands in their mouth a lot, you don’t want to put it on their hands. You do always want to help a young child apply mosquito spray and make sure that it’s an appropriate strength for them.”
Children should use DEET sprays that contain no more than 20 percent of the chemical while adults can use sprays containing up to 30 percent DEET. However, if users are not comfortable with the chemical they can choose from two plant-based repellents recently approved by the Centers for Disease Control, said Kramer.
“You can apply sprays with the active ingredients Picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus,” she said, advising that it’s best to follow label directions because each spray’s chemical composition is different.
Residents can also avoid West Nile infection by protecting their skin in other ways.
Wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants or clothing made out of insect netting can keep insects from biting, but mosquitoes can still bite through thin fabric, according to the Department of Pesticide Regulation.
In these cases, it’s best to spray clothing with insect repellent, but users should never spray the skin that will be underneath these garments.
Another key preventative measure is to drain standing water on or around your property. Unkempt swimming pools, bird baths, children’s play pools and buckets are major problem areas for mosquito breeding, but just about anything that can hold water for seven to 10 days can act as an incubator, so homeowners should be vigilant about checking the space around their property for potential hazards, said Kramer.
If you or a loved one are bit by a mosquito this season, it isn’t the end of the world. Not all mosquitoes carry West Nile and, even among those who are infected, the vast majority of cases are non-symptomatic.
Just under 20 percent of those infected develop a mild version of the virus, which causes flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and, sometimes, a skin rash.
In just one percent of the cases, victims develop the severe neurologic form of the virus, marked by flu-like symptoms coupled with neck stiffness, tremors, convulsions, numbness, paralysis or coma. Some cases – 28 in the state last year – even result in death, according to Kramer.
The elderly and those with immune-compromising diseases are among the most likely to develop the severe form of the disease, but small children are also vulnerable, according to the state’s Web site on the topic, WestNile.ca.gov.
