More West Nile Virus found in mosquitos statewide, including NWLA

CADDO PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) -– More mosquito pools are turning up positive for West Nile Virus across Louisiana, including in Caddo Parish.

“Over the past three weeks or so, we started to see quite a large number of mosquito pools that have tested positive for West Nile Virus,” State Epidemiologist Theresa Sokol said Wednesday.

According to Sokol, the Louisiana Department of Health’s surveillance reports for last week showed 60 mosquito pools tested positive for WNV, with four of them in Caddo Parish. That is slightly down from the 70 positive pools reported statewide the previous week, but the numbers are still significantly higher than they have been at this time in previous years.

By the beginning of July 2021, only 13 pools had tested positive.

So far, the state has only confirmed one infected patient, and that person was asymptomatic. But, Sokol warns, the more mosquito pools that tested positive for West Nile, the higher the risk it can be transmitted to humans.

“It’s occurring a little bit earlier this year than we’ve seen in the previous couple of years, so we want folks to know they do need to take precautions now to avoid being bit by mosquitos.”

Here are some West Nile Virus prevention tips recommended by the Louisiana Department of Health:

• If you will be outside, you should wear EPA-registered approved mosquito repellent and always follow product label instructions.
• Apply repellent on exposed skin and clothing, but do not apply under your clothes or on broken skin.
• To protect yourself from being exposed to mosquitos while indoors, make sure that windows and doors are tight-fitting, and that all screens are free of holes.
• Reduce the mosquito population by eliminating standing water around your home, which is where mosquitoes breed.
• Dispose of tin cans, ceramic pots and other unnecessary containers that have accumulated on your property that may collect water. Turn over wheelbarrows, plastic wading pools, buckets, trash cans, children’s toys or anything that could collect water.
• Drill holes in the bottom of outdoor recycling containers. If a recycling container has holes on the sides, there is still room for the container to collect water for mosquitoes to breed, so holes should be added on the bottom if not already present.
• Check and clean roof gutters routinely. Clogged gutters can produce millions of mosquitoes each season.
• Water gardens and ornamental pools can become major mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate. Take steps to prevent stagnation, such as adding fish or aeration.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools that are not being used. A swimming pool that is left untended by a family for a little as a month can produce enough mosquitoes to result in neighborhood-wide complaints. Be aware that mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on swimming pool covers.
• Contact local mosquito abatement districts to report problem mosquito areas.

Cases are typically detected through blood donations or in the course of other routine medical tests.

The majority of people infected with West Nile will show no symptoms, but 20 percent will have mild symptoms. Less than one percent develop neuroinvasive disease, but those more rare cases can lead to death, paralysis and brain damage.

West Nile Fever is a milder viral infection in which people experience flu-like symptoms.

Those most at risk are over the age of 65 or those who have certain underlying conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and people who are with compromised immune systems. But everyone is at risk for infection.

There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat WNV in people.

You can learn more about the West Nile Virus here.