West Nile Virus Provoked by Mosquitoes

STATES CHRONICLE – In San Jose, this summer, it has burst a West Nile virus epidemic which is thought to be spread out by mosquitoes. Scientists have developed some tests for the adult mosquitoes collected from the area. The result for West Nile virus was positive. Through the bite of this mosquitoes, the individual can not only get infected with the disease but can also get killed by it. In order to prevent this, Santa Clara’s County Vector Control District will fog the area.

Russ Parman, who is the Assistant District Manager, claimed that the warm temperatures indicate that the mosquitoes will continue to disperse the dangerous virus. Parman asserts that the same story happened last year. The fogging processes maintained until October. He states that the disinfecting raid will start on Thursday and maintain until the last day of September. The areas which are to be covered spread to the north by Brokaw Road, McKay Drive, Wayne Avenue, covering Charcot Avenue and Fox Lane, to the east by Lundy Avenue, then to the south by Berryessa Road and Hedding Street, and it ends in the west at First Street.

Useful information is to be made public: the inhabitants who are living in this area do not need to resettle during the disinfecting process. In California, 5,787 people were already registered to be infected, since the West Nile virus first appeared in 2003. Since then, 233 of 5,787 people have failed in fighting against the virus.

People infected by West Nile virus can present various symptoms which include headaches, fever, body aches, and if the stage of the illness is advanced, anomalies will include significant neurological damages or even death.

If they want to help the authorities, inhabitants of the area could help by draining water every week. They should also limit their activities during dawn or dusk, when mosquitoes’ activities increase, to prevent the ongoing epidemic to develop.

Media informs the public that San Jose is not the only place where this illness is currently spreading. Manchester is another area predisposed to the West Nile virus. Jeffrey Catlett, the spokesperson for The State Mosquito Management Program, declared that on September 12 a mosquito which was tested revealed it’s carrying the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have demonstrated that one out of five people is affected by West Nile virus.

If you were one of the inhabitants of the affected areas, would you relocate? What would you do to protect yourself and your family from the virus?

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