Nearly 500 mosquitoes in 57 counties in Indiana have proven positive to West Nile virus

INDIANAPOLIS – Nearly 500 mosquitoes in 57 counties in Indiana have been tested positive for West Nile virus this season, according to the Indiana Department of Health.

Of these 57 counties, only four reported human cases of West Nile virus, including two infected individuals in Hamilton County.

The Indiana Department of Health monitors online all infections by mosquitoes and humans.

According to their map, 19 counties reported five or more mosquitoes that have been tested positive for West Nile virus so far this year.

The most notable are Marion County with 92 infections and Hamilton County with 91. 38 additional counties reported between one and four mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus.

Across the state, 478 mosquitoes tested positive for West Nile.

READ | First human case of West Nile reported in Indiana this year | Tipton County mosquitoes positive for West Nile | West Nile Virus Found in Marion, Monroe and Tippecanoe Counties

The state health department of Indiana says that Hoosiers should take extra precautions this fall. Recent rains are likely to create breeding grounds for mosquitoes in flood-prone areas.

Mosquitoes can breed in containers as small as a bottle cap. It is therefore recommended that people, among other precautions, discard tires, cans or pots that may contain water and frequently replace water in bowls.

Those who may have been infected with the virus may have symptoms, including:

• high fever
• Severe headache
• neck stiffness
• muscle weakness or paralysis
• nausea Vomiting
• painful joints
• confusion

Health authorities in Indiana have recommended taking the following steps to protect themselves:

• Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are active (especially in the late afternoon, at dusk until dawn and early morning)
• Use an EPA-approved insect repellent containing DEET, picaridine, IR3535, lemon eucalyptus oil or para-menthane-diol on clothing and skin exposed.
• Cover exposed skin by wearing a hat, long sleeves and long pants in areas where mosquitoes are particularly active, such as wooded areas
• Install or repair screens on windows and doors to prevent mosquitoes from entering the home

You can also protect your family and community from mosquitoes by:

You can also protect your family and community from mosquito bites by:

• Eliminate stagnant water areas available for mosquito breeding in or near your property.
• Repair faulty septic systems.
• Drill holes in the bottom of the recycling containers left outside. The drainage holes on the sides of the container collect enough water for the mosquitoes to reproduce there.
• Keep the grass cut short and the shrubs trimmed.
• Dispose of old tires, cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or other unused containers that may contain water. Do not neglect containers overgrown with aquatic vegetation.
• Clogged gutter cleaning, especially if leaves tend to clog drains. Gutters are easily overlooked but can produce millions of mosquitoes each season.
• Ventilate ornamental pools or store them with predatory fish. Water gardens are fashionable but become big mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate.
• Flip plastic wading pools when it is not used. A wading pool becomes a mosquito producer if it is not used regularly.
• Flip the wheelbarrows and do not let the water stagnate in the bird baths. Both provide breeding habitat for domestic mosquitoes.
• Cleaning and chlorination of pools that are not used. A pool left abandoned by a family who goes on vacation for a month can produce enough mosquitoes to cause complaints on the neighborhood scale. Be aware that mosquitoes can even breed in the water that accumulates on pool covers.
• Use landscaping to eliminate stagnant water that accumulates on your property. Mosquitoes will grow in all puddles that will last more than four days.

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