PICAYUNE —
Mosquito-borne illnesses are seemingly increasing in number, so reducing mosquito numbers is key to avoiding infection.
Mississippi Department of Health West Nile Program Director Sharon Sims stopped in Pearl River County for two days to speak to students and city employees about how the virus works, and about the best methods of prevention.
While most people who are bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus will never know they contracted the illness, a small number of people could develop severe symptoms that could lead to paralysis or even death.
For comparison, if 100 people were bitten by a mosquito that had West Nile, about 80 of those people would never know they had the virus. Of those remaining, about 18 or 19 would feel as though they had the flu, and get over the illness with little to no long-term side effects. However the few remaining could develop severe symptoms.
So far this year Mississippi has had 193 reported cases of the virus. Of those cases, five people have died, Sims said. No deaths have been reported in Pearl River County so far.
“The bad news is West Nile is here to stay. We’re going to continually have it,” Sims said.
After a person contracts West Nile, three to 15 days may pass before symptoms to occur. Mild cases will include flu-like symptoms such as headache, fever, chills, fatigue, drowsiness and swollen lymph nodes. Most people with mild symptoms will recover and never know they had West Nile.
In the most severe cases, the illness can cause meningitis, encephalitis or even death. Sims said she holds a support group for patients who survived severe cases, and while they lost function in some of their body parts, many over the years recovered some function through physical therapy.
Animals can contract West Nile as well, including cats, dogs, squirrels and horses. While the virus is not deadly to cats and dogs, horses do suffer fatalities from the virus. A vaccine has been successfully developed to protect horses from the virus, Sims said.
Currently, there is no vaccine for humans, although Sims said work is being done in Israel to develop one. However, that research will take a long time due to the need for FDA approval before such a vaccine could become available to the public.
Mosquitos of all kinds are drawn to humans by the carbon dioxide people emit when they breathe, along with body heat. However, of the 65 mosquito species in Mississippi, only one carries the West Nile Virus, the Southern House Mosquito, Sims said.
Protection is the best medicine, including the use of DEET insect repellents, removal of all standing water around a home to reduce breeding and the use of protective clothing when working or playing outside. Sims said it is safe to use insect repellents containing up to 30 percent DEET on children two months and older. Removing standing water from around a home will reduce the number of mosquito breeding sites and limit the number of mosquitos around a home. Sims said most mosquito species do not fly farther than a mile from where they were born.
More information about West Nile and other mosquito-borne illnesses can be found on the Health Department website at http://www.msdh.state.ms.us/
Homepage
Related Photos
-
Children at Nicholson Elementary heard a presentation from Mississippi Department of Health West Nile Program Director Sharon Sims Wednesday morning about the mosquito-borne illness. She taught the children about how the virus is transmitted and ways to prevent contact with mosquitoes. Jeremy Pittari
West Nile Virus still a threat
- Local News
-
Picayune Memorial High School salutatorian Tiffany DeVore will speak at the school's graduation exercises at 7 p.m. Thursday at the high school stadium.
-
PMHS SALUTATORIAN
Picayune Memorial High School salutatorian Tiffany DeVore will speak at the school's graduation exercises at 7 p.m. Thursday at the high school stadium.
-
PRC VALEDICTORIAN
Pearl River Central High School valedictorian Baylee Brooklyn Owens will speak at the school's graduation exercises at 7 p.m. Friday at the high school stadium.
-
PMHS VALEDICTORIAN
Picayune Memorial High School valedictorian Chad Porter will speak at the school's graduation exercises at 7 p.m. Thursday at the high school auditorium.
-
City council seeks grant for downtown parking improvements
The council approved a request that can potentially allow the city to receive a grant of $100,000 to fund a Downtown Revitalization Parking Project.
-
POPLARVILLE SALUTATORIAN
Poplarville High School salutatorian Brent Breland will speak at the school's graduation exercises at 7 p.m. Thursday at the high school stadium.
-
PMHS SALUTATORIAN
- Sports
-
-
Saints ready to practice with Payton again
Even as Sean Payton tried to make the best of his one-season bounty banishment from the NFL by spending time with his children, getting in shape and playing golf, he often compared his punishment to prison time.
He missed his work that much, his players say, adding that his return has infused Saints headquarters with a fresh intensity leading up to Tuesday’s opening of voluntary offseason practices. - Wildcats honored for efforts
- Season ends for Maroon Tide
- Season ends for Maroon Tide
- Tide stays alive
-
Saints ready to practice with Payton again
- Lifestyles
-
-
Arboretum Paths
At the recent Master Naturalist training held at the Crosby Arboretum, Master Gardener Susan Swope discussed how using more natives in our landscapes can save us both time and money. She went on to describe some methods well-suited to lazy gardeners. One was to create planting beds in lawn areas. First, mow the grass as short as possible, then add layers of newspaper or cardboard, add a thick organic layer such as leaves, and there you go— less grass to mow.
- CBAC Did you know? program highlights dangers to senior citizens
- 2013 Partners for Pearl River County By Jodi Marze
- Tami Harris takes state
- Arboretum Paths
-
- State News
-
-
Fire chief says search almost complete in Oklahoma
The search for survivors and the dead is nearly complete in the Oklahoma City suburb that was smashed by a mammoth tornado, the fire chief said Tuesday.
- Indian guest workers sue company in Miss., Texas
- Man wants pay for snakes seized in Miss. porn case
- Tornado churns through Oklahoma City suburbs
- Tchnology can speed emergency response
-
Fire chief says search almost complete in Oklahoma
- International
-
-
Argentine Jorge Bergoglio elected Pope Francis
Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was elected pope Wednesday and chose the name Francis, becoming the first pontiff from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium.
Looking stunned, Francis shyly waved to the crowd of tens of thousands of people who gathered in St. Peter’s Square, marveling that the cardinals needed to look to “the end of the earth” to find a bishop of Rome. - Pope Benedict VXI resigning
- Suicide bomber kills guard at US Embassy in Turkey
- EU summit ends without budget deal
- Govt to let Cubans travel freely
-
Argentine Jorge Bergoglio elected Pope Francis
- Opinion
-
-
Not your mother’s Ladies’ Home Journal
By Rheta Grimsely Johnson/Syndicated columnist
I haven’t seen the Ladies’ Home Journal in about a million years, except maybe in the dentist’s office when I was trying to avoid a television permanently set on Fox News.
Somebody’s grandchild was selling magazines for a school project, and Ladies’ Home Journal was the only one on the list I recognized. Now it comes to the house.
Let’s just say: It’s not my mother’s Ladies’ Home Journal. This month, right behind a feature called “A Country of People Who Never Stop Eating” is one called “Nice Girls Do Get Tattoos.” - Health care market needs oversight
- VA’s appalling failures not recent
- Dolley Madison politically savvy
- Mississippi isn’t immune from national college tuition trends
-
Not your mother’s Ladies’ Home Journal
- News Distribution Network
-
US Marshalls dig through rubble in a neighborhood on 149th Street and Santa Fe Drive hoping to find survivors from a tornado that hit Moore, Okla., Monday, May 29, 2013. Kyle Phillips
-
Okla. officials vow not to quit looking until everyone is found
The tornado that killed 24 people and injured at least 100 others in the Moore and Oklahoma City area cut a 17-mile-long path that started in Newcastle and ended at Lake Stanley Draper. Nine of the dead are children.
- The Big One: Preparing for mid-America earthquake
- 5 takeaways from the IRS report
- Warning Signs: Technology speeds disaster alerts, response
- Do school bus drivers undergo background checks?
-
Okla. officials vow not to quit looking until everyone is found
- CNHI Special Projects
-
A man check his car on Interstate 35 after a tornado ripped through Moore Monday afternoon.
-
Audio: How can we better prepare for tornadoes?
An NPR broadcast examines the question of how communities can better prepare for tornadoes like the one that struck Moore, Okla. on Monday. The broadcast features commentary from Michael Fitzgerald, who reported a five-part disaster series for the CNHI News Service.
- The Big One: Preparing for mid-America earthquake
- Technology speeds disaster alerts, response
- Warning Signs: Technology speeds disaster alerts, response
- Tips for tornado readiness
-
Audio: How can we better prepare for tornadoes?
Obama Offers Drone Strike Defense
Raw: Heckler Interrupts Obama on Guantanamo
A Slice of Apple History Up for Grabs
Johnson: Don't Blame Islam or UK Policy
Raw: 80-Year-Old Climbs Mount Everest
Wash. State Man Arrested Following Ricin Scare
Chain-Reaction School Bus Crash Injures About 50
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Texas Students Coach Teachers on Fitness
New Forecasting Tool Eyed for Hurricane Season
Meet MJ, the Bike Riding Tabby Cat
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
Raw: Kevin Durant Tours Moore After $1M Pledge
Man Shot While Questioned in Boston Probe
Weiner Launches Bid to Become NYC Mayor
School Storm Protection Spotty in Tornado Zones
Moore Native Toby Keith Tours Tornado Damage
