State health officials are officially worried about West Nile Virus. Late summer, early fall, the upcoming Labor Day Holiday weekend; a combination that has seen a rise in West Nile Virus in the past. As of Monday, Missouri had recorded six human cases of West Nile Virus. Karen Yates with the State Health Department, though, points out most people infected with the virus don’t develop symptoms. About 20% of those who do can develop long-term health problems. Yates suggests wearing long-sleeve shirts and pants at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active and she says you should use repellents with DEET. House mosquitoes are the culprits and they need to be fought in their homes: standing water in wheelbarrows, flowerpots, wading pools, used tires, clogged gutters and the like. That standing water needs to be drained. West Nile Virus was first detected in Missouri in the fall of 2001 when eight dead crows from the St. Louis region tested positive. Missouri reported 64 cases last year, eight were fatal.

Related web sites:
State Health Department Information on West Nile Virus