Spring brings out mosquitoes Published April 8, 2009 By Courtesy of the 375th Medical Group Public Health Flight 375th MDG SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Spring is breaking out all around us. The daffodils are starting to show up around the base and so are those pesky mosquitoes. Not only are these biting insects a nuisance, but they can also transmit many serious diseases like malaria, Dengue fever, yellow fever, West Nile Virus and encephalitis. While most of these are not major health concerns in Illinois, we do have one mosquito-borne disease, WNV, which has spread throughout the U.S. in recent years, including our local area. WNV is primarily a disease that causes death in birds. It is transmitted from birds to people through mosquitoes. Most healthy individuals infected with WNV may not be aware they have the disease or may only experience very mild symptoms to include fever, headache, body aches, skin rash or swollen lymph glands. More severe symptoms may include severe headache, high fever, neck stiffness, tremors, muscle weakness, paralysis, coma and rarely death. Dead crows or blue jays (other bird species are not tested) around the base are sometimes indicators of the presence of WNV and should be reported to the 375th Civil Engineer Pest Management Flight at 256-2617. They will collect these birds and work in conjunction with other agencies to have them tested. There is no evidence that WNV can be caught from handling infected dead birds. Local public health authorities will test a sampling of dead birds each year to monitor the level of disease in the area. In 2008, St. Clair County reported no cases of WNV in people, horses or mosquitoes, but did find one positive bird case. In 2007 they reported three human cases, one animal case and eight positive mosquito batches. This apparent decrease is probably due to lower average temperatures in 2008 that kept the mosquito populations low; however, a warmer summer this year could result in an increase in mosquito populations. The 375th Public Health Flight traps mosquitoes throughout the season to identify species and locations that may cause a health concern or create a nuisance to the base population. Hanging traps may be seen in trees or poles around the base. These only attract and collect mosquitoes, they do not repel them. The control of mosquitoes on Scott can be done in a couple of ways. First, Pest Management may spray pesticide (called "fogging") to kill adult mosquitoes or apply pesticides to standing water to kill larval mosquitoes before they hatch. Second, and even more effective than fogging or applying pesticides, is getting base housing residents and families involved in mosquito prevention. Everyone should help control the mosquito population. Start with keeping areas clean and eliminating potential places for mosquitoes to breed. Standing water and environments that maintain moisture are the biggest factors in the harboring of mosquitoes. For more information, call the Public Health Flight at 256-4986.