West Nile A Threat As Summer Begins

With the start of summer comes a barely seen, but definitely felt, pest.

And if you’re headed up to the cottage this weekend, you can be sure the mosquitoes will be biting. Once considered little more than an itchy pain, mosquito bites now carry the potential threat of something far more serious – the West Nile virus.

You hear the warnings about West Nile every year. But this may be one summer where you want to pay special attention. That’s because we’ve had a mostly hot and dry early season, and that’s when the mosquitoes proliferate.

Similar summers have produced the most serious results from the ailment. In the dry 2002 heat, Toronto experienced 166 West Nile cases and 11 deaths. In 2005, when the weather history repeated itself, there were 38 cases and six deaths locally.

Experts say all those fatalities were preventable because the illness certainly is. It just involves taking a few precautions, including wearing long sleeves shirts and pants or using DEET if you’re out in the bug infested bush.

Gerald Gorewich wishes he’d taken that advice. He knows West Nile can either give you no symptoms, a mild flu like reaction or the worst case scenario – major neurological difficulties.

He was one of the unlucky ones, getting bitten by a mosquito and then severely by the bug the insect was carrying.

He spent seven months in hospital and wasn’t sure if he’d ever recover.

“At one point they thought I was not going to make it,” he remembers.

But even now, he’s not back to normal.

“My balance is not quite what it was. If anyone was just to give me a little push, I would fall right over.”

Still, he’s one of the lucky ones. Some virus victims have wound up paralyzed in wheelchairs.

But because no one knows who will get affected in what way, it’s better off just to be careful. “I would say take the precautions,” Gorewich concludes. “Because you just don’t know.”

Here’s a primer on what the disease is and how to avoid it this summer.

Symptoms:

Here are the symptoms of the West Nile virus. But remember that these may be early symptoms of the virus, or of many other illnesses, so seek medical attention to find out the cause.

• Fever
• Muscle weakness
• Stiff neck
• Confusion
• Severe headache
• Sudden sensitivity to light.
• Extreme swelling or infection at the site of the mosquito bite is another reason to seek medical attention.

Who gets sick and why:

Most people who get infection don’t show symptoms and don’t get sick. If they do, symptoms usually show up within two to 15 days. In mild cases, people might suffer from flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, and body aches. Some may also develop a mild rash, or swollen lymph glands.

But some individuals, including older people, have weaker immune systems. That means they face a greater risk of serious health problems including meningitis and encephalitis.

In these cases, symptoms could include the rapid onset of severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, loss of consciousness, muscle weakness, and paralysis. Severe cases of illness due to West Nile virus can be fatal.

The long-term effects of serious cases of West Nile aren’t totally understood yet. But some studies show that sustained health problems are possible.

They can include physical issues ( long-term muscle weakness and paralysis, fatigue, and headache), cognitive effects (confusion, depression, problems with concentration, and memory loss), and functional effects (trouble preparing meals, going out, shopping).

And although people with weaker immune systems have a higher risk for serious health effects, WN virus can result in severe complications for individuals of any age or health status. Health Canada says that is why it’s important to cut down on your chances of becoming infected.

Protect yourself and your family from the virus by:

Covering up:

Mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn. When outside during this time, cover up. Mosquitoes are attracted to darker, more intense colours so make sure you wear light-coloured clothing, including long-sleeved shirts or jackets, long pants and tuck pants into socks for extra protection.

Using insect repellent:

Use only those insect repellents that are federally regulated, such as those that contain DEET. The amount of DEET in the insect repellent should be no greater than 30% for adults and no greater than 10% for children. Health Canada says that DEET-containing repellents are not to be used on children under 6 months of age.   It recommends that, where there is a high risk of complications to the child from insect bites, DEET may be considered for children aged 6 months to 2 years. Health Canada also advises not to apply DEET more than three times a day to children between 2-12 years of age.

Cleaning up – all around the house:

The best way to keep mosquitoes away is to clean up areas where they like to breed. Mosquitoes don’t fly very far and usually stay close to their breeding sites and normal habitat. Look around your house and property and get rid of places that are mosquito-friendly.

Removing any type of standing water:

Clean up and empty containers of standing water such as old tires, flower pots, wheelbarrows, barrels or tin cans that are outdoors.

Change water in bird baths every other day.

Checking swimming or wading pools:

Immediately remove water that collects on pool covers.

Make sure your pool’s pump is circulating.

Turn over wading pools when not in use.

Always checking and clearing eaves and drains:

Clear leaves and twigs from eavestroughs, storm and roof gutters throughout the summer.

Make sure drainage ditches are not clogged.

Check flat roofs frequently for standing water.

Regular yard and lawn maintenance:

Lawn cuttings, raked leaves or other decaying debris such as apples or berries that fall from trees should be recycled or mulched so that organic matter does not end up in storm sewers as a food source for mosquito larvae.

The compost pile is not off limits to mosquitoes. Turn over compost frequently.

Fill in low depressions in lawn areas

Clear out dense shrubbery where mosquitoes like to rest.