West Nile in Mobile County

West Nile The Mobile County Health Department believes a Semmes woman caught the virus.

by Jennifer Dale

Published: Tue, November 27, 2007 - 10:14 am CST Last Updated: Tue, November 27, 2007 - 11:34 am CST

The Mobile County Health Department believes they have another case of West Nile in the area. The health department says the victim is a Semmes woman in her forties. She is recovering at home. If it turns out to be West Nile, it will be Mobile County's second case this year. West Nile is transmitted by mosquitoes and can be fatal.

Tips from the Mobile County Health Department:

Symptoms:
* high fever * severe headache
* nausea * stiff neck
* confusion * muscle weakness
* paralysis *disorientation
* seizures *in rare cases can cause coma or death.

Personal protection: Clothing and aromatics
• Wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothes to help prevent mosquitoes from reaching the skin and to
retain less heat, thereby making you less "attractive" to mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are more attracted to dark colors.
• When possible, wear long sleeves and long pants.
• Avoid perfumes, colognes, fragrant hair sprays, lotions and soaps. They attract mosquitoes.

Personal protection: Repellents• Follow the label instructions when applying repellents. Permethrin repellents are for use only for clothes, not skin.
• When using repellents, avoid contact with eyes, lips, and nasal membranes.
• Use concentrations of less than 10 percent when applying DEET-containing products on children.
• Apply DEET repellent on arms, legs, and other exposed areas but never under clothing. After returning indoors, wash treated skin with soap and water.
• Citronella candles and repellents containing citronella can help, but their range is limited. Herbals such as cedar, geranium, pennyroyal, lavender,
cinnamon, and garlic are not very effective.

Personal protection: Around the home• Mosquito activity peaks at dusk and again at dawn. Restrict outdoor activity during these hours.
• Keep windows and door screens in good condition.
• Replace porch lights with yellow light bulbs. They attract fewer insects.
• Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so empty all water from old tires, cans and jars, buckets, drums, plastic wading pools, toys, and other
containers.
• Clean clogged gutters.
• Remove the rim from potted plants and replace water in plant/flower vases weekly.
• Replenish pet-watering dishes daily and rinse birdbaths weekly.
• Fill tree holes and depressions left by fallen trees with dirt or sand.
• Stock ornamental ponds with mosquito fish or use larvicide “doughnuts.”
• Do not place grass clippings or blow leaves into drainage ditches or storm drains. This will block the flow of water and allow mosquito breeding near the home.

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