Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 2005)
PAGE - 8 2005 Welcome Hunters! FAST FACTS ABOUT WEST NILE VIRUS Q. What is the West Nile virus? A. West Nile virus is a flavivi- rus commonly found in Africa, the Middle East and West Asia. It was first detected in the United States in 1999. Since then it has spread to almost every state including Or egon. Q. How is it spread? A. West Nile virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. The virus is known to have infect ed people, birds, horses, cats, dogs and some other animals such as chipmunks, bats, skunks, squirrels and domestic rabbits. Q. Do all mosquitoes carry the West Nile virus? A. No. Of the 53 known mos quito species in the northwest United States, only a small num ber have the potential to carry West Nile virus. The mosquito species responsible for transmit ting the West Nile virus, such as Culex species and Aides species, are not common to wetlands. In stead, they prefer highly organic watery areas, such as leaf-clogged gutters and unattended birdbaths. Q. What are the symptoms of illness associated with West Nile virus? A. Current estimates indicate that only about 20 percent of peo ple who become infected will de velop any type of illness. Mild symptoms (called West Nile fever) can include fever, headache and body aches, sw ollen lymph glands, and a skin rash. Severe symptoms (called West Nile en cephalitis, meningitis and menin goencephalitis) can include high fever, headache and neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, trem ors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis. The incubation pe riod in humans (the time between being infected and the onset of symptoms) is 3-14 days. Q. How do I protect m yself from infection? A. Preventive measures you can take include using a mosquito re pellent containing DEET that pro vides protection for the amount of time you will be outdoors. You should be sure to follow all appli cation instructions to avoid irritat ing your skin, eyes and mouth, or using too much on young children. When outdoors it’s also a good idea to wear long-sleeved shirts and full-length pants. However, mosquitoes can bite through thin clothing, so you also may want to spray your clothing with a repel lent. It’s also a good precaution to place mosquito netting over infant carriers. Q. Can I get infected by han dling or caring for a sick animal? A. There currently is no conclu sive evidence that West Nile virus can be spread from animals to peo ple. However, you should contact your veterinarian on infection con trol precautions when caring for a sick animal. Q. Are duck and other wild- game hunters at particular risk for getting infected? A. Hunters (as well as all other outdoor recreators) may be at risk if they become bitten by mosqui toes in areas where West Nile vi rus is known to be active. There currently is no conclusive evi dence that West Nile virus can be transmitted to humans by consum ing infected birds or other animals. However, hunters always should follow the usual safety precautions when handling and cleaning ani mals to prevent blood exposure to bare hands, and always should fol low procedures for fully cooking meat to prevent infections from both viruses and bacteria. Q. Should I report dead birds ? A. You should immediately re port dead birds to your local or state health agency or ODFW of fice. Those agencies will deter mine if the situation meets the cri teria for testing the birds for the presence of West Nile virus. For more information, contact your local health department or ODFW office. C entral lltedLAppte 238 North Main Street Heppner - 676-9614 Hours: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Moo-Sat 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sun “ Your ÊAH'it! G ro e e ry S to re ” FAX - FILM ICE - B E E R BA TTER IES SLNDRY ITEM S F O X SERVICE D EL! BB<$ A PIC1YIC ITEMS C IT T IM ; / WRAPPIMG
