When dealing with West Nile virus, prevention is your best bet. Avoiding mosquito bites reduces your risk of getting this disease, along with others that mosquitoes can carry. Take the commonsense steps below to reduce your risk:
Something to remember: The chance that any one person is going to become ill from a single mosquito bite remains low. The risk of severe illness and death is highest for people over 50 years old, although people of all ages can become ill.
1. Defending Yourself Against Mosquitoes - The 4 D's
Drain
Drain standing water around the house weekly since it's where mosquitoes
lay eggs, including: tires, cans, flowerpots, clogged rain gutters, rain
barrels, toys, puddles and even unused fountains.
Dusk & Dawn
Dusk and dawn are when mosquitoes that carry the virus are most active,
so limit outdoor activities or take precautions to prevent mosquito
bites.
DEET
Deet is an effective ingredient to look for in insect repellents.
Always follow label instructions carefully.
Dress
Dress in long sleeves and pants during dawn and dusk or in areas where
mosquitoes are active.
2. Avoid Mosquito Bites
Apply Insect Repellent
Containing DEET (Look for: N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide
)
Apply to exposed skin when you go outdoors. Even a short time being outdoors
can be long enough to get a mosquito bite. For details on when and how
to apply repellent, see
Mosquito Repellent.
Clothing Can Help Reduce
Mosquito Bites
When possible, wear long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors.
Mosquitoes may bite through thin double layers of clothing are even
better.
Get double protection: wear long sleeves during peak mosquito biting hours, and spray DEET repellent directly onto your clothes.
Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours
The hours from dusk to dawn are peak mosquito biting times for many
species of mosquitoes. Take extra care to use repellent and
protective clothing during evening and early morning hours. Consider
avoiding outdoor activities during these times.
2. Mosquito-Proof Your Home
Drain Standing
Water
(View Home)
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the
number of places around your home for mosquitoes to develop by
getting rid of items that hold water.
Install or Repair Screens
Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by
having well-fitting screens on both windows and doors. Offer to help
neighbors whose screens might be in bad shape.
3. Help Your Community
Report Dead Birds to Local Authorities
Dead birds may be a sign that West Nile virus is circulating
between birds and the mosquitoes in an area. Over 225 species of birds
are known to have been infected with West Nile virus, though not all
infected birds will die. It's important to remember that birds die from
many other causes besides West Nile virus.
By reporting dead birds to toll free hotline 1-877-968-2473. You can play an important role in monitoring West Nile virus. Check the Identify and Report Dead Birds page to find information about reporting dead birds in your area.
Mosquito Control Programs
To find your local mosquito control agency
click here. The
Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California (MVCAC) holds
a wealth of knowledge on control and surveillance in California. More
questions about mosquito control? A source for information about
pesticides and repellents is the
National Pesticide
Information Center, which also operates a toll-free
information line: 1-800-858-7378 (check their Web site for hours).
Clean Up
Mosquito breeding sites can be anywhere. Neighborhood clean up
days can be organized by civic or youth organizations to pick up
containers from vacant lots and parks, and to encourage people to keep
their yards free of standing water. Mosquitoes don't care about fences,
so it's important to control breeding sites throughout the neighborhood.
