California Faucets
California Faucets I'm a 1st time home buyer can anyone please give me legal advise I purchased a home with termites & dry rot? I recently purchased a home in California that is severely ter...
California Faucets
Protect Against West Nile Virus
Anyone who works outdoors should be aware of the West Nile virus (WNV). The virus is commonly contracted from infected mosquito bites. The period of highest risk is dawn to dusk from July to September when mosquitoes are most active. Eliminating mosquito breeding areas and implementing protective measures can minimize the possibility of humans or animals contracting the virus.
Although, the primary means of WNV transmission is a bite from an infected mosquito, the virus may be transmitted through transfusions, organ transplants or breast milk; it is not spread by touching, kissing or caring for someone who is infected. While the chance of WNV infection is low and most infected people or animals won’t get sick, affected persons may get a mild fever, headache, body aches, rash or swollen glands 3 to 15 days after exposure. However, in rare cases, the virus may result in West Nile encephalitis, a severe and sometimes fatal inflammation of the brain.
As mosquitoes are known to lay their eggs in water, the first step in WNV prevention is to routinely drain sources of standing water – pools, ponds, watering troughs, irrigation ditches, rain barrels, manure lagoons and other stagnant bodies of water. Turn over, cover or remove tarps, tires, buckets, barrels, birdbaths, plant saucers, and wheelbarrows. Check around faucets for leaks and puddles. Place drain holes in containers that cannot be discarded. Schedule pasture irrigation to minimize standing water. Keep ponds aerated and stock livestock water tanks with mosquito eating fish.
If possible, keep animals inside at dawn or dusk when mosquitoes are actively biting. Use fans, barrier cloths, screen, flysheets, repellent sprays and insecticide misting systems to further protect animals. Livestock, poultry, dogs, and cats can get the virus but don’t usually show signs of illness. And, although horses are affected more often than other animals, there’s no evidence that they can spread the virus to other animals or humans.
People can protect against mosquito bites by wearing long sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks prayed with mosquito repellant (as mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing). Exposed skin should be sprayed with repellants containing DEET. There is an equine vaccine for the virus, but no vaccine, specific for the treatment or cure for humans.
Visit the website of the California Department of Food and Agriculture at www.cdfa.ca.gov or the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov to learn more about West Nile virus.
About the Author
Haig Artan
Insurance Broker
HDA Insurance Brokerage
10727 White Oak Avenue, Ste. 115
Granada Hills, CA 91344
(818) 831-3368
(818) 831-1268 FAX
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