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West Nile Found In St. Joseph County, Indiana

LM Otero/AP Photo/File

The St. Joseph County Department of Health issued the following release about West Nile Virus:

 
St. Joseph County Health Officer, Dr. Luis N. Galup, announced that Indiana State Department of
Health testing has identified pools of West Nile Virus positive mosquitoes in central South Bend. St.
Joseph County is one of 13 counties in Indiana where mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus have been
found this year to date. There have not been any human cases of West Nile Virus in Indiana this year
to date.
 

Dr. Galup encourages you to take the following steps to protect you and your family from mosquitoes:
 

 Avoid being outdoors during prime mosquito biting times - dusk to dawn - when possible.
 

 Apply an EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon
eucalyptus or para-methane-diol to clothes and exposed skin.
 

 Cover exposed skin by wearing a hat, long sleeves and long pants in places where mosquitoes
are especially active, such as wooded areas.
 

 Make sure all windows and doors have screens, and that all screens are in good repair.
 

 Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in an unscreened structure.
 

To reduce potential mosquito breeding grounds:
 

 Discard old tires, tin cans, ceramic pots or other containers that can hold water (even a small
bucket that has stagnant water in it for seven days can become home to up to 1,000
mosquitoes).
 

 Repair failed septic systems.
 

 Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers left outdoors.
 

 Keep grass cut short and shrubbery trimmed.
 

 Clean clogged roof gutters, particularly if leaves tend to plug up the drains (roof gutters are
easily overlooked, but can produce millions of mosquitoes each season).
 

 Frequently replace the water in pet bowls.
 

 Flush ornamental fountains and birdbaths periodically, and aerate ornamental pools or stock
them with predatory fish.
 

 Turn over plastic wading pools when not in use (a wading pool becomes a mosquito producer if
not used on a regular basis).
 

 Remember - mosquitoes will develop in any puddle that lasts for more than four days!
 

For more information about West Nile Virus, go to the St. Joseph County Health Department’s website
(http://www.sjcindiana.com/524/Environmental-Health-Division) or contact them at 574-235-9573.