If you could protect yourself, relatively easily, from a potentially serious virus, would you?

Several weeks ago at a party I met a woman, Susan, who was covered, and I mean covered, in mosquito bites. It turns out she was eaten alive because she hadn’t been wearing mosquito repellent. Crazy.  Aside from the itching and general discomfort caused by these water-borne bloodsuckers, mosquitoes also now carry what can be a fatal virus – West Nile.

But Susan had reasons for not using protection, the first being that she does’t live in an area where West Nile Virus (WNV) has shown up - yet.  It’s worth remembering that one of the possible scenarios in which doctors will know WNV has arrived in your neighborhood involves someone getting it:  someone presents to the doctor or hospital with flu like symptoms or worse, serious associated neurological diseases, and the diagnosis turns out to be– WNV. 

Susan’ second reason, and she is not alone in this, is that she doesn’t like to wear repellent,  particularly repellents containing DEET, because she doesn’t think they’re safe. If applied as the instructions indicate, repellents are safe, for children and adults. In order to prevent WNV the repellent should contain DEET, and it should be applied to clothing as well exposed skin. Just a note, you can buy repellent with different strengths of DEET – so the longer you need protection the higher the percent of DEET you will need.

Finally, Susan mentioned that she wasn’t in the high-risk group for WNV. This is a myth– the fact is that if you are outdoors in areas where there are mosquitoes —you are at risk. Baseed on the number of bites Susan had, I would have said she was at reasonable risk.

In fact the group at highest risk for developing WNV-related illnesses is children. The group at highest risk for developing severe WNV is people over 50.

Other myths surrounding WNV are that it can be passed between humans through touching and kissing. Just for the record, there is no evidence to support that. Mosquitoes and dead crows are the carriers, and there is a low risk associated with donated blood. All doneated blood is checked for WNV before being used. Similarly, the risk from organ transplants is also low.

Another myth: If the area you live in has a mosquito control program you don’t have to worry. Fact: no mosquito control program alone can control or eliminate all the mosquitoes in your neighborhood. The best advice is to take some precautions. For example, get rid of all standing water around your home and yard because mosquitoes breed in standing water. This is especially important if you live in an area that has recently experienced some flooding or heavy rains. Here are some other precautions you can take:

• Empty water from flowerpots and any containers you have outside that collect water
• Change the water in the birdbath regularly
• Make sure the screens on your doors and windows are in good shape
• If you’re going to be out after dusk – put DEET repellent on. Mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn.
• Citronella candles are not as affective as repellent – so don’t rely solely on ‘mosquito repellent candles’ when you’re outside.
• If you find a dead bird - don’t touch or handle it with your bare hands. Call your local health department and they will provide instructions on how to dispose of the body.

The facts on the symptoms  and treatment of WNV

Most people develop symptoms between 3 and 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Milder symptoms, which can affect up to 20% of people who become infected, include fever, body aches, headache, nausea and vomiting. Occasionally, people experience swollen lymph glands or a rash on the stomach, back, or chest. Any of these symptoms could last from a few days to several weeks.

About one in 150 people develop severe symptoms which may include headache, neck stiffness, high fever, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. And, any of these symptoms could last as long as several weeks. Unfortunately, the neurological effects may become permanent.

The good news is that most people – about 80% (4 out of 5) – won’t develop any symptoms of WNV at all.

What about treatment? Well, at the moment there is not definitive ‘treatment’ for WNV.  However, when someone becomes severely ill, they may require hospitalization for supportive care – for example help with breathing, and administration of intravenous fluids.

All these things considered – why wouldn’t you take every precaution you could including using mosquito repellent? In every neighborhood that has WNV someone had to have been the first person to be diagnosed, and in every neighborhood yet to get it someone will be the first. Why take a chance on that person being you or your child. Repellent is just one, simple thing you can use to protect yourself and your family, not only from WNV, but also from the itching, scratching, infection and possible scarring you can get from ordinary bites.  So where’s the gray area?

And on that cheerful note– happy camping!

If you have questions or comments, contact claire@knowitallhealth.com

Reviewed July 17th, 2007