A pool of mosquitoes bearing the West Nile Virus has been found in Clay Township, making St. Joseph County one of four Indiana counties where mosquitoes have the virus, the St. Joseph County Department of Health announced Thursday, July 10.
Health department officials say they expect to find increasingly more cases of West Nile Virus in the greater St. Joseph County area through the rest of the summer and until the first hard frost.
The department also passed along advice to protect yourself from mosquito bites:
● Beware that prime mosquito biting times are at dusk and dawn.
● Onto clothes and exposed skin, apply an EPA-registered insect repellent that has DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane diol.
● Wear a hat, long sleeves and long pants to cover exposed skin in outdoor places where mosquitoes are especially active, such as wooded areas.
● Treat clothing and outdoor gear with 0.5% permethrin if camping or spending extended periods of time outdoors.
● Make sure that your windows and doors have screens and that all screens are in good repair.
To reduce mosquito breeding around homes, the health department gave this advice:
● Get rid of old tires, tin cans or other outdoor containers that can hold even a tiny bit of water.
● Tip bird baths, flowerpots and other water-holding containers weekly and refill with clean water.
● Repair failed septic systems.
● Keep rain barrels covered with wire mesh smaller than adult mosquitoes.
● Clean roof gutters.
● Keep swimming pools cleaned and chlorinated.
● Drain and fill stagnant pools, puddles, ditches or swampy places around the home and property.
The health department does spray to treat areas for mosquitoes. For more information or to sign up for spraying alerts, visit www.in.gov/localhealth/stjosephcounty/environmental-health/pests-andvectors/mosquitoes/.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: West Nile Virus found in mosquitoes in St. Joseph County. Here’s how to prevent bites.
Reporting by Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
