West Nile risk spreads through Chatham County
More local mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus, Chatham County Health Department and Mosquito Control announced Wednesday. The new samples are in addition to the ones from Pooler that tested positive last week.
"We've pretty much got some positive pools from one end of the county to the other at this point," said Chatham County Mosquito Control Director Jeff Heusel.
No human cases of West Nile have been confirmed this year in Georgia, though six other states have reported a total of 14 cases as of July 10. About 80 percent of people who get the virus are unaware they have it because they don’t develop symptoms. The remaining 20 percent of those infected will develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash.
West Nile virus is transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes and can cause mild to serious illness. Mosquitoes that carry the virus — the Southern house mosquito or Culex quinquefasciatus — are more likely to bite at dusk, dawn and nighttime.
Officials are reluctant to pinpoint exactly where the Chatham mosquitoes tested positive, for fear that residents elsewhere will be overly complacent.
"If we put out one location, others may not think the precautions apply to them," said Sally Silbermann, spokeswoman for the Coastal Health District. "But once it's in the mosquitoes, it's going to be in the mosquitoes."
Residents can reduce their risk by eliminating any standing water around their property where mosquitoes breed. It doesn't take much water, Heusel said. A discarded cup or other container may look too small to matter, but that's where you have to take the mosquito's point of view, he said.
"To a mosquito, it's a huge pond," he said.
Remove standing water
Look around your yard, Heusel advised.
"If there's anything holding water around the house, tip it over, especially after a rainfall," he said. "If you don't need it, get rid of it. Don't keep a lot of junk around."
And don't forget potted plants.
"One of the most frequently overlooked items is the dish under potted plants," he said. "Even in a drought, people water their plants and the dish fills."
Recent stormy evenings have prevented Mosquito Control from conducting its aerial spraying, so weekend flights are being scheduled. Residents should expect to see Mosquito Control’s low flying, yellow helicopters on a regular basis throughout the county this weekend between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Also tip out water in children’s toys, wading pools, buckets, and anything else that may be holding water. Throw away unneeded items that can hold water, such as old tires, bottles, cans. Change water frequently in outdoor pet dishes and change the bird bath water at least twice a week. Mosquitoes can go from egg to adult in just five to seven days.
For containers without lids or that are too big to Tip ‘n Toss (garden pools, etc.), use larvicides such as Mosquito Dunks© or Mosquito Torpedoes© and follow the label instructions. These larvicides will not hurt birds or animals. In addition, clean out gutters, remove piles of leaves, and keep vegetation cut low to prevent landing sites for adult mosquitoes.
Homeowners associations and neighborhoods, along with city and county governments, are encouraged to sponsor community cleanup days.