Fight
The Bite!
Avoid Mosquito Bites to Avoid Infection
When dealing with
West Nile virus, prevention is your best bet. Fighting mosquito bites
reduces your risk of getting this disease, along with others that mosquitoes
can carry. Take the commonsense steps below to reduce your risk, and
you'll:
- avoid bites
and illness;
- clean out the
mosquitoes from the places where you work and play;
- help your community
control the disease.
Something to remember: The chance that any one person is going
to become ill from a mosquito bite remains low. Most people who are
infected with the virus will not develop any symptoms at all. The
risk of severe illness and death is highest for people over 50 years
old.
Avoid Mosquito Bites
Apply Insect Repellent Containing DEET (Look
for: N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) to exposed skin when you go outdoors.
Even a short time being outdoors can be long enough to get a mosquito
bite. For details on when and how to apply repellent, see Insect Repellent
Use and Safety in our Questions and Answers pages. See also Using
Insect Repellent Safely from the EPA.
Clothing Can Help Reduce Mosquito Bites
When possible, wear long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors.
Mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, so spraying clothes with
repellent containing permethrin or DEET will
give extra protection. Don't apply repellents containing permethrin
directly to skin. Do not spray repellent containing DEET
on the skin under your clothing. Get double protection: wear long
sleeves during peak mosquito biting hours, and spray DEET
repellent directly onto your clothes.
Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours
The hours from dusk to dawn are peak mosquito biting times for many
species of mosquitoes. Take extra care to use repellent and protective
clothing during evening and early morning -- or consider avoiding
outdoor activities during these times.
Mosquito-Proof Your Home
Drain
standing water from around your home Drain Standing Water
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water.Limit the number of places
around your home for mosquitoes to breed by getting rid of items that
hold water. Need examples? Learn more on the Prevention of West Nile
Virus Question and Answer page.
Install or Repair Screens
Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by having
well-fitting screens on both windows and doors. Offer to help neighbors
whose screens might be in bad shape.
Help Your Community
Report Dead Birds to Local Authorities - Dead birds may be a sign
that West Nile virus is circulating between birds and the mosquitoes
in an area. Over 130 species of birds are known to have been infected
with West Nile virus, though not all infected birds will die. It's
important to remember that birds die from many other causes besides
West Nile virus.
By reporting dead
birds to state and local health departments, you can play an important
role in monitoring West Nile virus. State and local agencies have
different policies for collecting and testing birds, so check the
Links to State and Local Government Sites page to find information
about reporting dead birds in your area. Click here for more info
about reporting dead birds and dealing with bird carcasses.
Mosquito Control Programs
Check with local health authorities to see if there is an organized
mosquito control program in your area. If no program exists, work
with your local government officials to establish a program. The American
Mosquito Control Association can provide advice, and their book Organization
for Mosquito Control is a useful reference.
More questions
about mosquito control? A source for information about pesticides
and repellents is the National Pesticide Information Center, which
also operates a toll-free information line: 1-800-858-7378 (check
their Web site for hours).
Clean Up
Mosquito breeding sites can be everywhere. Neighborhood clean up days
can be organized by civic or youth organizations to pick up containers
from vacant lots and parks, and to encourage people to keep their
yards free of standing water. Mosquitoes don't care about fences,
so it's important to control breeding sites anywhere in the neighborhood.
