More than 50 pools of mosquitoes collected in Calcasieu Parish over the last three months tested positive for West Nile virus, the highest activity since 2009, Parish Mosquito Control Director Scott Willis said Monday.
Willis said four people in Calcasieu have tested positive for West Nile, including three neuro-invasive cases and one case of West Nile fever. The Louisiana Department of Health has reported 14 cases statewide so far.
Reports of people testing positive for West Nile usually start around August or September, he said.
Willis said the mosquito control department has already done several spray treatments using airplanes.
“We probably got the first positive (pool test) a couple of months ago,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is lessen the chances of mosquitoes that are infected coming to contact with people.”
However, Willis said, a high number of positive West Nile pools may not lead to more people being infected. During 2012, there were 11 positive mosquito pools in Calcasieu Parish, with 20 cases of people testing positive for West Nile and two deaths, he said.
“It’s hard to predict,” Willis said. “But we should be responsible and let people know and be aware of the fact that we have had a lot of virus activity in our sampling.”
Willis said the recent rainfall may have residents concerned that West Nile activity will see an uptick. But he said the newer mosquitoes coming from the rainfall normally don’t carry West Nile.
“They haven’t had a blood meal,” he said. “Those mosquitoes would have to pick up the virus and live for almost a couple of weeks and transmit the virus.”
Willis said there are 60 different species of mosquitoes in the state. Several species of the Culex mosquitoes can carry West Nile. These mosquitoes usually bite in the early morning and afternoon.
“Sometimes people get confused because they think any mosquito that bites them will transmit the disease,” he said.
Willis said there have been no cases of Zika virus reported in Calcasieu Parish. So far, 26 cases have been reported in Louisiana, more than half being in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. All but one of the cases were travel-related.
Willis said mosquito control officials have not found any of the Yellow Fever mosquitoes, the main transmitter of Zika, in Calcasieu. However, a similar species, the Asian Tiger Mosquito, is present and can also transmit the virus.
“You can find these mosquitoes in containers that hold water, like someone’s birdbath or flower pot,” Willis said.
l
Online: http://ift.tt/2cbQW9Q
Follow John Guidroz on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JohnAmPress
from American Press: Your Best News And Advertising Source - Home http://ift.tt/2bCuTES
0 التعليقات:
Post a Comment