Advertisement That’s why the mosquito control officer for the La Crosse County Health Department spends so much time talking about preventing the diseases.
“My job is to monitor and knock down populations of mosquitoes that cause disease, but people play a major role if they take the precautions to prevent disease in the first place,” Geske said. “Prevention is a big part of this because we’ll never be able to find all the mosquitoes.”
Geske said if people were committed to the following four measures, they could reduce their risk significantly — and the risk of others — of getting La Crosse encephalitis and West Nile virus:
1 Never leave any open container outside to collect water — good breeding places for mosquitoes that cause the two diseases. Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets and barrels. Change the water in pet dishes and replace the water in bird baths weekly. Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.
“With tires and containers we create a habitat for these mosquitoes which didn’t exist before,” Geske said. “When we leave these open containers sitting outside, we’re putting out mosquito incubators.”
2 Never leave tires outside to collect water. Tires are even better than natural breeding places for disease-causing mosquitoes because of their hot, moist environment. Don’t allow tires to sit around your house or garage. Get rid of them and recycle. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out.
“Our effort over the years has been to target tires, and it has paid off,” Geske said. “When we find a tire or two, it’s a hot breeding spot.”
3 Being outside means you’re at risk. The more time you’re outdoors, the more time you could be bitten by an infected mosquito. Pay attention to avoiding mosquito bites if you spend a lot of time outside, either working or playing. When you are outdoors, use insect repellent containing an EPA-registered active ingredient such as DEET. Follow the directions on the package.
Many mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn. Be sure to use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants at these times or consider staying indoors during these hours.
4. Pay attention to the environment around you. If you see containers outside full of water, tell the homeowners. Help others eliminate mosquito breeding places. “The public adds eyes and ears to our mosquito control program,” Geske said. “There are times if people had not called, we wouldn’t have found a hot breeding spot. We can’t find everything by ourselves.”
A La Crescent, Minn., resident and the city of La Crescent reported concrete containers full of water and mosquitoes near a park where many children play, Geske said. “It had the potential for a real tragedy,” he said. “A child could have been infected by a mosquito carrying encephalitis or West Nile.”
Geske and his staff provide mosquito control for a 17-county region — St. Croix and Dunn counties to the north, Grant and Lafayette counties to the south, Houston and Winona counties to the west, and Richland and Iowa counties to the east.
This summer Geske’s staff is going door-to-door in rural areas to educate residents about mosquitoes and encephalitis and West Nile virus.
“We’ll eyeball the environment around the farm or home, and we’ll ask people to clean it up, and remind them it’s their responsibility not to provide the habitat for these mosquitoes,” Geske said.
Terry Rindfleisch can be reached at trindfleisch@lacrossetribune.com, or (608) 791-8227
BY THE NUMBERS
Two months — August and September — are the peak months for La Crosse encephalitis and West Nile virus. A study recently published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal showed 82 percent of the West Nile cases in Wisconsin from 2002 to 2006 occurred during those two months.
Wisconsin has had 114 confirmed cases of West Nile infection, including seven deaths, since 2002. Last year, La Crosse County reported its first human West Nile virus case, a 70-year-old La Crosse man who had been hospitalized. The county reported another human West Nile case last summer, a 70-year-old West Salem, Wis., man, but it was not counted as a case because he had no symptoms.
No cases of West Nile have been confirmed in Wisconsin in 2007. Minnesota has reported four cases so far this summer. As of July 31, the Centers for Disease Control have reported 185 cases nationwide this summer.
No encephalitis cases have been reported in the La Crosse area in 2007; four La Crosse encephalitis cases, none in La Crosse County, were reported in western Wisconsin last year.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the La Crosse County Health Department
