Summertime is when mosquitoes really start to bite and suck. That then can lead to something else that can really bite: West Nile Virus infections. As of July 9, 2019, 26 different states in the U.S. have reported finding West Nile Virus activity. That's if you give people the bird, and the mosquito and the human.
If you just count humans, ten states have had reported West Nile Virus cases as of July 9. This table from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) breaks the 36 cases down by state and type of case:
| State | Neuroinvasive Disease Cases |
Non–neuroinvasive Disease Cases |
Total cases |
Deaths | Presumptive viremic blood donors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 19 | 9 | 28 | 0 | 10 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Colorado | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Idaho | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nevada | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| South Dakota | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 24 | 15 | 39 | 1 | 10 |
Presumptive viremic blood donor is a fancy way of saying that you went to donate blood but testing of your blood was positive for the presence of West Nile virus.
You can see that the table has divided cases into two types: neuroinvasive and non-neuroinvasive. When the virus doesn't invade your nervous system, you will either have no symptoms (80% of those infected) or develop flu-like symptoms with something called West Nile Fever. Flu-like symptoms are not fun. Nothing that is flu-like is fun. That's why you should avoid anything that is called a flu-like party or a flu-like date.
Nonetheless, getting flu-like symptoms is still better than getting neuroinvasive West Nile disease. In about one in 150 West Nile Virus infections, the virus manages to invade and infect the brain (encephalitis) or the membranes surrounding the brain (meningitis). The result can be symptoms such as high fever, headaches, neck stiffness, tremors, seizures, disorientation, coma, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, and paralysis. This Kaiser Permanente video profiles an example of what can happen:
As you can see, symptoms can last for weeks or even months. In some cases, symptoms can be permanent. About one in 10 people with neuroinvasive disease don't survive and die. Death tends to be a permanent thing without Pym Particles and entering the Quantum Realm.
How then do you avoid all of the fun that West Nile Viruses bring? The CDC says that the "most effective way to prevent infection from West Nile virus is to prevent mosquito bites." Ah, if only you could tell mosquitoes to stop this whole biting thing.
However, there are some things that you can do. One is to try to stay indoors as much as possible and make sure that the home, apartment, condo, or pod that you live in is sealed enough to prevent mosquitoes from entering. When you do this, you may want to have air conditioning so that your don't start feeling like a Hot Pocket.
Then, there's what you wear outside. You can always wear a Deadpool costume at all times so that mosquitoes can't find any bare skin to bite. However, this can be a bit off-putting professionally and socially. The next best thing to do is to cover yourself as much as possible. That means no more Speedo-bowtie combinations.
Of course, covering up all of your skin completely is not always an option. To keep mosquitoes away, you can use insect repellent. But beware, as there is a lot of junk out there that doesn't really work, despite advertising claims. Check the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellent list, which identifies those repellents that have at least one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin (known as KBR 3023 and icaridin outside the US), IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), and 2-undecanone. You can use the EPA search tool to find the right repellent for you.
Another thing to do is to get rid of as much standing water as possible. Still water is where mosquitoes lay their eggs. That means turning upside down and emptying everything that may accumulate or hold water upside down such as your flower pots, helmets, tires, bottle caps, and I Love Katy Perry mugs.
Finally, encourage and support local mosquito control efforts. Without the help of public health and insect control officials, things could get a lot worse and really, really bite.
