Wednesday, August 1, 2001
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Wednesday, August 1, 2001 |
| 'No need
to panic'
County launches defense against West Nile virus
By SALLIE
SATTERTHWAITE
The bad news is that the West Nile virus, an infection that can produce encephalitis, is here in north central Georgia. The good news is that the risk of contracting the disease is highly preventable by simple measures. Fayette County public health professionals met last week to share information and to map strategy for prevention of West Nile in the county, said Robert Kurbes, environmental health specialist with the county Health Department. Cynthia Grant, director of public health nurses, coordinated the symposium, conducted at Fayette Community Hospital. Kurbes said that officials from all three fire departments were present, as well as personnel from the Health Department, the Board of Education, building and grounds departments, even county animal control. Kurbes summarized the discussion for The Citizen: "The disease is transmitted only through the bite of a few particular types of mosquito, he said, which means that the primary lines of defense are the protection of one's own body and the elimination of the insect's breeding sites. "Protect yourself, especially during the period from dusk until after dark," Kurbes said, "by wearing light-colored long sleeves and long pants if you're going to be outdoors. On exposed skin, apply insect repellent containing DEET." Asked whether earlier questions about DEET itself had been addressed, Kurbes said they had to do with inhaling the propellant that was formerly used to apply DEET in aerosol form. The product, also labeled N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, now comes in pump sprays or lotion, and is no longer of concern except when used on young children or infants. "Be careful of the concentration," which should be less than 10 percent when used on children, Kurbes said. He added that there is also the potential for allergy in any product. Eliminating conditions favorable to mosquito breeding is an equally important step in safeguarding oneself and one's family and neighbors. "The good thing helping us is that the mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus don't fly more than a couple of hundred yards," Kurbes said. "Evaluate your property for breeding sites. Without a doubt, mosquitoes must have standing water to breed." Mulch piles and dense ivy growth while cool, damp and shady are not breeding grounds. The adult insects may hang out there, Kurbes said, but that's not where they are laying eggs. The official also noted that while wetlands may seem to be the kind of place mosquitoes use for reproduction, the fact is that most have changing water levels or flowing streams. The bugs can't breed where there is any type of ripple, as in creeks or streams, he said. "For one thing, the larvae prefer quiet standing water, and secondly, in a wetland ecosystem, there are biological controls like fish, frogs and tadpoles, and the larvae of dragonflies they eat mosquito larvae." Birds are also a good defense against mature mosquitoes, which is why Kurbes said he is growing gourds this summer: He'll turn them into purple martin houses next year. The reality, Kurbes said, is that "you can never get rid of all mosquitoes, especially the variety that prefer man-made containers to breed in, but by cleaning up your own yard, you protect yourself and your community." Any place where water may stand, even in depths as little as a quarter inch, Kurbes said, offers conditions favorable to mosquitoes' reproduction. And while some sites come to mind quickly, the worst offenders may be less obvious. These are typical: Clogged gutters. Bird baths the time from when the egg is laid until the adult mosquito emerges runs from seven to 11 days. Solution: Empty bird bath and refill it every three to four days. Old tires notorious breeding sites, found less often in residential areas, but common out in the county.
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