From the moment she lays her eggs, the clock starts ticking, counting down the moments when you'll slip from the top of the food chain and you'll be just being another link and fast food for her hungry young. Mosquitoes, they really suck! And as the Summer season arrives - so do they. Normally an irritant at best, delivering itchy lumps that burn and swell, now those pesky airborne hypodermic needles may carry an even deadlier payload: West Nile Virus. Most of us have heard about West Nile Virus (WNV), and maybe it has you thinking about just how serious a matter this virus can be. Furthermore, you're probably wondering what you can do at work to protect yourself and others. --- So What Is WNV? WNV belongs to a family of viruses called Flaviviridae, a virus commonly found in Africa, West Asia, and the Middle East. WNV made its first appearance in North America in New York city in 1999. Since then it has spread steadily and now has a foot hold in Canada. WNV is spread by mosquitoes that feed on the blood of infected birds [and other animals]. It is closely related to the virus that cause Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, and St. Louis encephalitis. The virus can infect humans, birds, other mosquitoes, horses and other animals. --- How Do You Get It? Most people that contract WNV get it from the bite of an infected mosquito, however in 2002, scientists discovered people could also become infected with WNV through blood transfusions and organ tissue transplants. --- Who's At Risk? Regrettably it's older people, people with compromised immune systems or weakened individuals who are currently fighting some other illness. And although the chances of being infected are low, the percentage of those infected that develop severe health effects is even lower. However, that being the case, everyone in an area that has WNV activity is at risk. According to Health Canada, "Risk for serious health issues generally increases with age. In 2003, over 1,300 Canadians become ill due to WNV. ? --- What Can I Do To Fight It? Here is a short list of some precautionary measures to help fight WNV: 1. Minimize your exposure to mosquitoes - that's Dusk 'til Dawn.
2. Wear protective clothing when outdoors - long sleeves and long pants.
3. Use DEET or other approved repellents - it 'hides' you.
4. Eliminate potential mosquito breeding grounds - remove standing water, old tires, etc.
5. Inspect screens on doors and windows, make sure they're a tight fit. --- Mosquito The "Little Fly ? The word "mosquito" is Spanish for "little fly," and its use dates back to about 1583 in North America (Europeans referred to mosquitoes as "gnats"). Mosquitoes belong to the order Diptera, true flies. Mosquitoes are like flies in that they have two wings, but unlike flies, their wings have scales, their legs are long and the females have a long mouth part (proboscis) for piercing skin. Only the female mosquito bites. There are over 2,700 species of mosquitoes in the world, and there are 13 mosquito genera (plural for "genus") that live in the North America. --- Breeding Grounds Mosquitoes require standing water to lay their eggs. For those of us who work with Tires this poses a special challenge. Tires are notoriously well shaped for catching rain water when left outdoors. No matter how you position a tire, it just catches the rain fall. A tire doesn't have to be lying around that long for a mosquito to use it as a new breeding ground. Within a week to ten days, what was once simply and old tire, waiting safely for proper disposal - now becomes a breeding ground for airborne trouble. If you can, cover your tires to avoid rain collection, better still store old tire indoors or in some sealed storage facility until taken away for recycling. After all, once those little suckers hatch (yes the pun was intentional) they'll fly straight for the closest food source - and that's you and your employees! One thing we know for sure is West Nile Virus is here to stay. |
