Local health officials are urging residents to continue to guard against mosquito-borne West Nile virus even as cooler fall weather is slowly beginning to arrive.
“Our little biting pests are still active,” Jennifer Heller, Brown County Health Department environmentalist, said in an email Wednesday. She said five cases of West Nile virus have been detected in mosquitos in Brown County to date, according to data provided from the Indiana Department of Health. There have been no human cases in the county as of Oct. 2.
Officials are urging the following tips to prevent mosquito bites:
- If possible, use air conditioning rather than leaving doors and windows open.
- Use screens on windows and doors. Repair holes in screens to keep mosquitoes outdoors.
- Find and remove possible mosquito breeding sites around your home. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Removing sources of standing water can reduce the number of mosquitoes around your property. This will protect you and your family as well as your neighbors:
- “Tip and toss:” Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out items that could collect water outdoors, such as tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpots and trash containers.
- Tightly cover water storage containers (buckets, cisterns, rain barrels) so that mosquitoes cannot get inside to lay eggs.
- For containers without lids, use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.
- If you have a septic tank, repair any cracks or gaps. Cover open vents or plumbing pipes. Use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.
According to the Indiana Department of Health, there have been seven human West Nile virus cases and 13 equine cases reported statewide. To date, IDOH has tested 177,942 mosquitoes divided into 2,519 pools. A total of 467 samples have tested positive for West Nile virus from 88 counties, including Brown.
Heller said the state health department routinely collects mosquitoes to test for West Nile virus from areas such as the Nashville water treatment plant or elsewhere, if the county requests.
