West Nile found in Chackbay

A mosquito sample in Chackbay has tested positive for the West Nile virus, Lafourche Parish officials said Monday.

The sample was taken last Tuesday, and trucks from the parish’s mosquito control contractor sprayed pesticide in the area Friday through Sunday after the positive result was confirmed, officials said.

Mosquito Control of Lafourche said it has also sent workers to the area to look for standing water that could allow mosquitoes to breed and take steps to control them.

“Residents in the area will be made aware that there is a heightened potential for (West Nile) infection in their neighborhood and that personal protection and yard sanitation is recommended,” the company said in a news release. “This will be done by distributing informative literature within a one- to five-city-block radius of the epicenter.”

Mosquito traps will be used to study the adult mosquito population in a five-city-block area from where the infected mosquitoes were found, officials said. The mosquitoes that are collected will allow researchers to measure the number of adult mosquitoes and provide specimens for testing.

It marks the fourth time in about a month that mosquitoes have tested positive for the virus in Terrebonne and Lafourche. On Sept. 24, a mosquito sample tested positive in Larose and prompted a similar response.

Mosquito samples have also tested positive for the virus in Houma’s Lisa Park subdivision, Terrebonne Parish officials announced on Sept. 21.

So far this year, West Nile has infected 87 Louisiana residents and has killed four, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the 87 West Nile cases reported among Louisiana residents, 52, or 60 percent, are the severe form that can cause swelling of the brain and parts of the central nervous system, the CDC figures show. Most infections occur in summer, when mosquitoes are at their peak numbers. 

In Terrebonne, six mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile this year through Oct. 6, and four other samples tested positive for the St. Louis encephalitis virus. One person in Terrebonne reported West Nile fever, and no illnesses associated with the St Louis encephalitis virus were reported.

In Lafourche, at least three people this year have contracted a severe form of West Nile that affects the brain and central nervous system, state data show. Six mosquitoes in the parish have tested positive for the virus, two others with St. Louis encephalitis.

--Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 857-2202 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter@DanVCopp.

Experts offer these tips to protect against West Nile and other mosquito-borne diseases:

• Eliminate standing water around your house where mosquitoes can breed.
• Use insect repellent that contains DEET.
• Wear long-sleeve shirts and pants when outside.
• Avoid being outside at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.
• If you experience symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiff neck or disorientation, go to a doctor or hospital.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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