State Puts County Under West Nile Virus Advisory
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
State health officials have issued a West Nile virus advisory for Kosciusko County because they are awaiting test results of several horses in St. Joseph County that are considered to be probable cases of West Nile virus.
Although no horses in Indiana have been confirmed positive for West Nile virus so far this year, health officials believe it is likely that one of these horses will be confirmed as having the disease, according to a press release from the Indiana State Department of Health.
Margaret Joseph, public relations director for the Department of Health, said this morning, "We're advising people they need to be extra cautious and take the steps we've listed." She said they are also advising physicians to be aware of the symptoms related to the virus.
Hoosiers are urged to protect themselves from mosquito bites by:
• Using an insect repellent that contains DEET.
• Wearing shoes, socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors for long periods of time, or from dusk to dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. Clothing should be light colored and made of tightly woven materials to keep mosquitoes away from the skin. Pant legs should be tucked into shoes or socks, and collars should be buttoned.
• Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in an unscreened structure.
You also can protect your family and your community from biting mosquitoes by:
• Eliminating areas of standing water available for mosquito breeding in or near your property.
• Repairing failed septic systems.
• Keeping grass cut short and shrubbery trimmed.
• Disposing of old tires, cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or other unused containers that can hold water.
• Cleaning clogged roof gutters, particularly if leaves tend to plug up the drains.
• Aerating ornamental pools or stocking them with predatory fish.
Joseph said, "People need to be very aware (so) their property doesn't become a problem for their community." The mosquitoes that carry the virus "love stagnant water."
Though Kosciusko County has had no confirmed cases of the virus, adjacent counties like Whitley, Elkhart, LaPorte and St. Joseph have. "Birds do not know county lines," said Joseph. With large farms in Kosciusko County, she said, a bird could drop dead from the virus and no one would necessarily know about it, while in a big city such as Fort Wayne, someone would be more likely to notice.
According to Kosciusko County Health Department administrator Bob Weaver, residents should be on the lookout for livestock being sick. "My advice is to be more aware especially outside in the evening hours," Weaver said, when the mosquitoes that carry the virus are more likely to be out.
The county health department has sent several dozen birds out for testing but not one of the birds has tested positive for the virus. Weaver said there have been no cases in Kosciusko County of ill horses or other livestock from the West Nile virus.
The county health department is being proactive about the problem and trying to kill off mosquito larvae in area ponds, both public and private.
"This is the first year we've started a mosquito program countywide," said Weaver.
Last year, he said, he knew the West Nile virus was an upcoming problem and said it likely still will be a problem next year.
Joseph said the state department of health spent a lot of time educating the local health departments last winter about the West Nile Virus because they knew the virus would probably affect people this year. The state, she said, made $1,000 available to each health department to use in any way to help with mosquito control.
As for whether or not the virus will be a problem next year, Joseph said, "One never knows." She said due to the state's mosquito control efforts, the state wasn't caught napping on the problem. They've been very proactive in telling people about mosquitoes and the problems they carry.
According to the State Department of Health's press release, state epidemiologists advise the presence of cases of West Nile virus in horses indicates the presence of mammal-feeding infected mosquitoes, so there may be a greater risk of human infection. West Nile virus is transmitted only by mosquitoes. It requires a bite from a mosquito that has fed on an infected bird to transmit it to a horse or a human.
Thirty counties in Indiana have now had positives for the West Nile virus this year. As of Thursday afternoon, 81 dead birds and 132 mosquito groups in 29 counties have been confirmed positive for the virus, and free-ranging wild live birds have been collected and found presumptively positive for antibodies to West Nile virus from Allen, Bartholomew, Hancock, Lake and Marion counties.
Health officials report that this information indicates the virus is not only present but is widespread throughout the state.
Weaver said anyone who has concerns an animal may have the virus, should call the State Department of Health. All birds suspected of having the virus are sent to the state health department to be tested there. If a person is suspected of having the virus, Weaver said, it's confirmed by a blood sample being sent to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Ga. By the time a person gets the results, however, Weaver said, the person is usually well. Like any virus, though, the West Nile virus just has to run its course.
"Very, very, very few people become seriously ill," said Weaver. Those most likely to be affected are older residents and people with weakened immune systems. Most people do not even get sick enough from the virus to see a physician. The Wabash County woman who was diagnosed with the virus went to see a physician, Weaver said, only because she developed a rash.
Joseph said when the health department says older people are more likely to get the virus, it means people from age 50 and up. The Wabash woman who caught the virus was 46. "It's not the very, very elderly," she said. And while the chances of anyone getting the virus are low, she said, they don't want anyone to get sick. "We can prevent a lot of unhappiness," she said, if people take the right precautions.
Daily updates on positive results for West Nile virus and a virus surveillance map are available on the State Department of Health's Web site at www.in.gov/isdh by clicking on the image in the center of the page. [[In-content Ad]]
State health officials have issued a West Nile virus advisory for Kosciusko County because they are awaiting test results of several horses in St. Joseph County that are considered to be probable cases of West Nile virus.
Although no horses in Indiana have been confirmed positive for West Nile virus so far this year, health officials believe it is likely that one of these horses will be confirmed as having the disease, according to a press release from the Indiana State Department of Health.
Margaret Joseph, public relations director for the Department of Health, said this morning, "We're advising people they need to be extra cautious and take the steps we've listed." She said they are also advising physicians to be aware of the symptoms related to the virus.
Hoosiers are urged to protect themselves from mosquito bites by:
• Using an insect repellent that contains DEET.
• Wearing shoes, socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors for long periods of time, or from dusk to dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. Clothing should be light colored and made of tightly woven materials to keep mosquitoes away from the skin. Pant legs should be tucked into shoes or socks, and collars should be buttoned.
• Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in an unscreened structure.
You also can protect your family and your community from biting mosquitoes by:
• Eliminating areas of standing water available for mosquito breeding in or near your property.
• Repairing failed septic systems.
• Keeping grass cut short and shrubbery trimmed.
• Disposing of old tires, cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or other unused containers that can hold water.
• Cleaning clogged roof gutters, particularly if leaves tend to plug up the drains.
• Aerating ornamental pools or stocking them with predatory fish.
Joseph said, "People need to be very aware (so) their property doesn't become a problem for their community." The mosquitoes that carry the virus "love stagnant water."
Though Kosciusko County has had no confirmed cases of the virus, adjacent counties like Whitley, Elkhart, LaPorte and St. Joseph have. "Birds do not know county lines," said Joseph. With large farms in Kosciusko County, she said, a bird could drop dead from the virus and no one would necessarily know about it, while in a big city such as Fort Wayne, someone would be more likely to notice.
According to Kosciusko County Health Department administrator Bob Weaver, residents should be on the lookout for livestock being sick. "My advice is to be more aware especially outside in the evening hours," Weaver said, when the mosquitoes that carry the virus are more likely to be out.
The county health department has sent several dozen birds out for testing but not one of the birds has tested positive for the virus. Weaver said there have been no cases in Kosciusko County of ill horses or other livestock from the West Nile virus.
The county health department is being proactive about the problem and trying to kill off mosquito larvae in area ponds, both public and private.
"This is the first year we've started a mosquito program countywide," said Weaver.
Last year, he said, he knew the West Nile virus was an upcoming problem and said it likely still will be a problem next year.
Joseph said the state department of health spent a lot of time educating the local health departments last winter about the West Nile Virus because they knew the virus would probably affect people this year. The state, she said, made $1,000 available to each health department to use in any way to help with mosquito control.
As for whether or not the virus will be a problem next year, Joseph said, "One never knows." She said due to the state's mosquito control efforts, the state wasn't caught napping on the problem. They've been very proactive in telling people about mosquitoes and the problems they carry.
According to the State Department of Health's press release, state epidemiologists advise the presence of cases of West Nile virus in horses indicates the presence of mammal-feeding infected mosquitoes, so there may be a greater risk of human infection. West Nile virus is transmitted only by mosquitoes. It requires a bite from a mosquito that has fed on an infected bird to transmit it to a horse or a human.
Thirty counties in Indiana have now had positives for the West Nile virus this year. As of Thursday afternoon, 81 dead birds and 132 mosquito groups in 29 counties have been confirmed positive for the virus, and free-ranging wild live birds have been collected and found presumptively positive for antibodies to West Nile virus from Allen, Bartholomew, Hancock, Lake and Marion counties.
Health officials report that this information indicates the virus is not only present but is widespread throughout the state.
Weaver said anyone who has concerns an animal may have the virus, should call the State Department of Health. All birds suspected of having the virus are sent to the state health department to be tested there. If a person is suspected of having the virus, Weaver said, it's confirmed by a blood sample being sent to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Ga. By the time a person gets the results, however, Weaver said, the person is usually well. Like any virus, though, the West Nile virus just has to run its course.
"Very, very, very few people become seriously ill," said Weaver. Those most likely to be affected are older residents and people with weakened immune systems. Most people do not even get sick enough from the virus to see a physician. The Wabash County woman who was diagnosed with the virus went to see a physician, Weaver said, only because she developed a rash.
Joseph said when the health department says older people are more likely to get the virus, it means people from age 50 and up. The Wabash woman who caught the virus was 46. "It's not the very, very elderly," she said. And while the chances of anyone getting the virus are low, she said, they don't want anyone to get sick. "We can prevent a lot of unhappiness," she said, if people take the right precautions.
Daily updates on positive results for West Nile virus and a virus surveillance map are available on the State Department of Health's Web site at www.in.gov/isdh by clicking on the image in the center of the page. [[In-content Ad]]