West Nile Virus has been found in NE Nebraska

WAYNE — The Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department is alerting the public that the first pool of mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile Virus has been found within the health district of Cedar,Dixon, Thurston and Wayne counties for the 2023 season. West Nile Virus is present in Northeast Nebraska.

Prevent mosquito bites and the spread of West Nile Virus by taking the proper precautions below:

• Apply a mosquito repellent approved by the Environmental Protection Agency whenever you go outdoors. This includes repellents with Deet,Picaridin, Oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol, IR3535, and 2-undecanone. Follow directions when applying repellent on children. Do not use insect repellent on babies younger than 2 months. Oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol should not be used on children under 3.

• Wear long sleeves and pants when outdoors to limit skin exposure.

• Remove standing water where mosquitoes breed:birdbaths, old tires, clogged roof gutters or wading pools.

• Vaccinate horses. Mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn when the air is calm, but some will feed at any time of day.

Mild cases of West Nile Virus infection may include a slight fever and/or headache. Severe cases include a rapid onset of a high fever, head and body aches, and usually occur 5 to 15 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Go to your doctor if you have these symptoms during mosquito season (June – September).

Those at highest risk for serious WNVillness are:

• 50 years old or older.

• On steroid medicines or chemotherapy. Healthy children and adults are at lower risk but can still become ill. For more information, visit the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department website or access the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/westnile. Stop in at the NNPHD office, 215 North Pearl Street in Wayne for free DEET Insect Repellent wipes. For more information, call the NNPHD office at 402.375.2200.