Three Rivers Public Health Department Reports First Positive Mosquito Pool for West Nile Virus in the District
publish date: Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Three Rivers Public Health Department has been trapping and testing mosquitos for West Nile Virus this year. The district’s first positive West Nile Virus mosquito pool has been reported from within Dodge County. Three Rivers will continue to monitor the status of mosquitos in the area with mosquito trapping and testing throughout the warm months.
Three Rivers Public Health Department has also been providing surveillance in Dodge, Washington, and Saunders counties for West Nile by collecting and accepting dead birds for testing of the virus. Three Rivers District Health Department has been collecting all birds that are Corvids (American Crow, Black-billed Magpie, Blue Jay). Three Rivers has now closed bird collection this year due to a mosquito pool positive for West Nile Virus in Dodge County. However, Three Rivers Public Health Department will continue to take reports by phone of all dead birds. To submit a report of a dead bird, residents should contact Three Rivers at 402-727-5396 (Fremont office) or 402-443-4603 (Wahoo office).
Transmission of West Nile Virus occurs through the bite of a mosquito that has acquired the virus by feeding on an infected bird. In turn, the mosquito can pass the virus to humans. You cannot get West Nile Virus from a dead bird. The best thing the public can do to protect themselves from West Nile Virus is to avoid mosquitoes.
People can reduce their risk by:
- Using a repellant that contains DEET
- Wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, shoes and socks
- Taking extra precautions when going outdoors at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active
- Removing standing water where mosquitoes breed
West Nile is transmitted to people through the bite of a mosquito that acquired the virus by
feeding on an infected bird. Most people who are infected have no symptoms or only mild flu-like symptoms. About one out of 150 people infected with West Nile Virus become severely ill. However, people over 50 and those with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable to the disease and are more likely to experience serious consequences.
West Nile Virus may cause a wide range of clinical illness ranging from mild “flu-like” signs to encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) that may be fatal to both humans and horses. While horses are susceptible to WNV infection, many infected horses do not develop clinical illness and recover uneventfully.
Vaccination and mosquito control minimize the risk of WNV infection in horses. Although the number of WNV infected horses has declined over the last five years, WNV remains an important disease in unvaccinated horses. Horse owners should consult with their veterinary practitioner to ensure current WNV vaccination status of their horses.
For more information, call Three Rivers District Health Department at 402-727-5396 (Fremont office) or 402-443-4603 (Wahoo office) or visit www.threeriverspublichealth.org. Additional information can be found on the Department of Health & Human Services Website at: http://dhhs.ne.gov/publichealth/Pages/puh_epi_wnv_deadbird.aspx
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