CITY OF LAUREL URGES RESIDENTS TO “FIGHT THE BITE”
Posted on: August 1, 2012
The Mississippi Department of Health and the City of Laurel urges all residents of Laurel and Jones County to avoid mosquito bites whenever possible. With a recent confirmed case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Laurel, Jones County, extra precaution is necessary to “fight the bite.” The risk of a healthy person getting WNV from a mosquito bite is very low, but protection remains paramount.
Be sure to take precautions such as, removing sources of standing water where mosquitoes breed. Extra safeguards include wearing long pants and sleeves in mosquito-prone areas during peak times from dusk until dawn. Mosquito repellent is also strongly recommended.
Deputy Chief Billy Chandler said the City of Laurel is doing its part to combat the mosquito barrage by spraying mosquito repellant throughout the city twice a week and dropping larvicide pellets in open bodies of water.
West Nile virus is transmitted primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito. Incubation period of the WNV ranges from 2 to 15 days. Many infected with WNV actually will not develop any type of illness. However, symptoms of WNV can include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash (on the trunk of the body) and swollen lymph glands and will generally last a few days. If you develop a high fever with severe headache, consult your health care provider, immediately.
For more information on WNV, visit the Mississippi Department of Heath website at http://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/resources/518.pdf