Mosquitoes in Schriever area test positive for West Nile, officials say
Mosquito samples in the Schriever area have tested positive for the West Nile virus, Terrebonne Parish officials said today.
As a result, Parish President Gordy Dove has authorized additional mosquito spraying in the area.
Trucks will spray pesticide in the evenings today through Sunday, weather permitting, officials said in a news release.
Terrebonne Mosquito Control, which contracts with the parish, will send workers to the Schriever area to search for mosquito breeding sites and spray them.
If it is necessary for the mosquito contractor to enter your yard, you will be asked to sign a permission slip.
Though no West Nile has been reported there, a small plane will also spray pesticide to control mosquitoes Saturday across south Terrebonne.
A twin-engine King Air with red and blue stripes will spray over Dularge, Dulac, Chauvin, Montegut and Pointe-aux-Chenes, according to Mosquito Control Inc.
If rain or wind prevent spraying Saturday, it will be conducted the next evening weather permits. For information, call the company at 580-1629.
This year through Sept. 1, West Nile has killed two Louisiana residents and infected 70 others, the latest state Health Department statistics show. Most infections occur in summer, when mosquitoes are the at their peak numbers.
In Terrebonne, four mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile this year and four others turned up a similar disease called St. Louis encephalitis. No human cases of either illness have been reported.
In Lafourche, at least one person this year has contracted a severe form of West Nile that affects the brain, state data show. Four mosquitoes in the parish have tested positive for the virus, two others with St. Louis encephalitis.
About eight of 10 Americans who contract West Nile never show symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in five people develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash. Most recover completely, but fatigue and weakness can last for weeks.
One in 150 people who are infected develop a severe illness affecting the central nervous system, such as inflammation of the brain, the agency says. The disease has no cure, and doctors treat the symptoms in severe cases.
-- Executive Editor Keith Magill can be reached at 857-2201 or keith.magill@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @CourierEditor.