Reduce Your Risk of West Nile Infection

Just one mosquito bite can transmit the West Nile virus, which has killed nearly 800 people in the United States in the last seven years and caused severe neurologic illness in more than 8,300. To reduce your risk of mosquito bites during warm summer months, be sure to take the following precautions:

• Do not allow water to collect in flower pots, buckets, or wading pools. Clean out clogged gutters;
  
• Repair or replace torn window screens;
  
• Apply mosquito repellent whenever you go outdoors. Products that contain DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus are effective repellents;
  
• If you experience symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, confusion or difficulty thinking, stiff neck, severe muscle weakness or tremors, consult a physician immediately.
  

For more information about the West Nile virus, visit this page on the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/wnv_factsheet.htm.

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