The Kent County Health Department is urging West Michiganders to be cautious, as officials have confirmed some mosquitos are carrying the West Nile Virus.
Ongoing surveillance and testing conducted by the Kent County Health Department (KCHD) has revealed three presumptive positive cases of mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus in Kent County.
The discovery comes after testing pools of mosquito remains that were trapped in the 49504 and 49525 ZIP Codes. It is important to note that these are not human cases, but residents should still be on watch.
Health officials say, since there is no vaccine or cure for West Nile the best treatment is prevention. The health department is recommending wearing a mosquito repellant that contains 10 – 35% DEET, wearing light colored clothing and staying indoors during dusk.
Like the coronavirus, west nile has different effects for people. Only about 20% of the people infected will notice symptoms that may include headache, body aches, joint pains and fatigue. Most people with this type of West Nile virus completely recover, but fatigue may last for weeks or even months. About 1 in 150 people infected develop severe illness that can affect the central nervous system. Some damage to the central nervous system can be permanent. And in some instances, the disease can lead to death.
