State Health officials report increase in West Nile activity

A more than threefold increase in mosquito pools testing positive for West Nile virus has prompted state health officials to warn Indiana residents to take steps to protect themselves against the disease.\n"We are definitely seeing a rapid increase in West Nile virus activity, which means a greater risk for human infection," said James Howell, a veterinary epidemiologist at the Indiana State Department of Health.\nThe Indiana State Department of Health reported Friday that the number of infected mosquito pools has more than tripled in the past two weeks, to 21 from six. Also, two birds have tested positive for the disease in central Indiana's Marion County and one each in St. Joseph and Jasper counties in the north.\n"We continue to urge Hoosiers to remain vigilant about taking personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites," Howell said. "There is no human vaccine and no cure for West Nile virus, but it can be prevented."\nIndiana's only confirmed human case of the disease was reported in Allen County in early July. During 2002, the state had 293 human cases, including 11 deaths.\nWest Nile virus is transmitted to a human by a mosquito that has first bitten an infected bird. A person who is bitten by an infected mosquito may show symptoms three to 15 days after the bite. The virus usually causes a milder form of illness, West Nile fever, whose symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, swollen lymph glands and a rash.\nHealth officials recommend that Hoosiers avoid being outdoors during prime mosquito biting times, from dusk to dawn. When outdoors, they should wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts and apply insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus to clothes and exposed skin.\n"Individuals over age 50 are at the greatest risk for serious illness, including disabling neurological problems," Howell said. "However, people of all ages are at risk for serious infection."\nIt's typical for the state to see a greater incidence of the virus in August, said Andy Zirkle, a state health spokesman.\n"In the heat of the summer, you do get more mosquito breeding," Zirkle said.\nZirkle said the state issued a warning partly because this summer's weather has been conducive to breeding for the Culex mosquito, which carries the disease.