The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) announced that West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected in a mosquito collected from Chelsea, Massachusetts.
WNV is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. The mosquitoes that carry this virus are common throughout the state and are found in urban as well as more rural areas. While WNV can infect people of all ages, people over the age of 50 are at higher risk for severe infection.
By taking a few, common sense precautions, people can help to protect themselves and their loved ones:
Avoid Mosquito Bites
• Apply Insect Repellent when you go outdoors. Use a repellent with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide), permethrin, picaridin (KBR 3023), IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus [p-methane 3, 8-diol (PMD)] according to the instructions on the product label. DEET products should not be used on infants under two months of age and should be used in concentrations of 30% or less on older children. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three years of age. Permethrin products are intended for use on items such as clothing, shoes, bed nets and camping gear and should not be applied to skin.
• Clothing Can Help reduce mosquito bites. Although it may be difficult to do when it’s hot, wearing long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin.
• Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours – The hours from dusk to dawn are peak biting times for many mosquitoes. When risk is increased, consider rescheduling outdoor activities that occur during evening or early morning. If you are outdoors at any time and notice mosquitoes around you, take steps to avoid being bitten by moving indoors, covering up and/or wearing repellant.
Mosquito-Proof Your Home
• Drain Standing Water – Many mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by either draining or getting rid of items that hold water. Check rain gutters and drains. Empty any unused flowerpots and wading pools and change water in birdbaths frequently.
• Install or Repair Screens – Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by having tightly-fitting screens on all your windows and doors.
The City of Chelsea will work closely with the MDPH and other agencies, and continue to take preventative measures such as larviciding catch basins throughout the city, a proactive method used to control populations and reduce the spread of diseases like malaria, dengue, and West Nile virus. Larviciding is the practice of applying targeted biological or chemical agents to kill mosquito or blackfly larvae before they mature into flying, biting adults.
Information about WNV and reports of current and historical WNV virus activity in Massachusetts can be found on the MDPH website at: www.mass.gov/dph/mosquito.
Tick Bite Prevention Tips
The City of Chelsea also wishes to provide the community with tick bite prevention tips. Ticks are tiny bugs most likely found in shady, damp, brushy, wooded, or grassy areas (especially in tall grass), including backyards. Ticks do not fly or jump. They attach to animals or people that come into direct contact with them.
Black-legged (deer) ticks, called deer ticks, can bite you and spread diseases like Lyme disease. The tick usually must be attached to a person for at least 24 hours before it can spread the germ. Black-legged ticks in Massachusetts can also carry the germs that cause babesiosis, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, Powassan virus disease, and Borrelia miyamotoi infection. These ticks are capable of spreading more than one type of germ in a single bite.
Prevention tips
One of the most important things you can do is check yourself for ticks once a day. Favorite places ticks like to go on your body include areas between the toes, back of the knees, groin, armpits, and neck, along the hairline, and behind the ears. Remember to check your children and pets, too. Remove any attached ticks as soon as possible.
• Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks after coming inside:
• Inside and behind the ears
• Along your hairline
• Back of your neck
• Armpits
• Groin
• Legs
• Behind your knees
• Between your toes
• Ticks are tiny, so look for new “freckles”
• If you find a tick attached to your skin, don’t panic.
• Use a pair of fine point tweezers to grip the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight out with steady pressure.
• When going outside to an area likely to have ticks:
• Stick to main pathways and the center of trails when hiking.
• Wear a light-colored, long-sleeved shirt with long pants and tuck your pants into your socks. This may be difficult to do when the weather is hot, but it will help keep ticks away from your skin and make it easier to spot a tick on your clothing.
• Use bug repellents.
• Repellents that contain DEET can be used on your exposed skin. Permethrin is a product that can be used on your clothes. Always follow the product instructions and use repellents with no more than 30-35% DEET on adults and 10-15% DEET on children. Never use insect repellents on infants.
More information can be found on MDPH website: www.mass.gov/info-details/tick-borne-disease-prevention.