PROTECT YOURSELF• Use insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535.• Try to rid your property of standing water and all areas where it could collect, such as discarded tires, clogged roof gutters and empty containers.• Reduce overgrowth.• Report dead crows and blue jays to the local health department so they can be tested for West Nile virus.• Protect horses by making sure they are vaccinated for mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile virus. Insect repellents can be used on horses but with limited effectiveness. Screened stalls can also help reduce exposure.Source: Tennessee Department of Health
WEST NILE VIRUS• Mosquitoes become infected with the virus by feeding on infected birds, then transmit the virus to humans and other animals, such as horses, through their bites.• Usually only 20 percent of infections result in sudden flulike symptoms that may include fever, headache and body aches. Occasionally more severe symptoms occur, and in less than 1 percent of human cases, the virus can be deadly.Source: Tennessee Department of HealthLEARN MOREInformation on West Nile virus is available on the Tennessee Department of Health website at health.state.tn.us/ceds/WNV/wnvhome.asp.
In the eternal battle between humans and mosquitoes, Brad Ledford fights on the front lines.
Masked and armed with a heavy-duty sprayer, Ledford spent Monday outside homes on Signal Mountain and in North Chattanooga, spraying a fog of repellent across shrubbery, mulch beds and under shady decks — places mosquitoes tend to rest before heading out to their assaults at dusk.
The bloodsucking insects have gotten bad in the region during late summer — which means for Ledford, business has been good.