Alberta Health Services wants you to take the necessary steps to protect yourself from the West Nile virus.
“With exposure to mosquitoes comes risk of West Nile virus,” says Dr. Albert de Villiers, Medical Officer of Health – North Zone. “Because some mosquitoes carry West Nile virus, it’s important to avoid being bitten at all.”
De Villiers recommends wearing a long-sleeved light coloured shirt, pants, and a hat. Insect repellent with DEET will also help in your battle against the biting buggers along with staying indoors when mosquitoes are most active, at dusk and dawn.
“These steps can make it harder for mosquitoes to find you, and remember: if mosquitoes can’t find you, they can’t bite you.”
If bitten by a mosquito carrying the West Nile virus, you could develop the West Nile fever or the more serious West Nile Neurological Syndrome.
Symptoms of the fever include fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, skin rash, swollen glands and a headache. Humans contracting the more serious Neurological Syndrome will experience more severe symptoms like body tremors, drowsiness, confusion, problems swallowing, high fever, unconsciousness, paralysis and even death.
From 2003 to 2015 there have been 680 confirmed cases of West Nile virus in Alberta.
