Community Corner

Officials: Future of West Nile in Falmouth Depends on Weather

Although public health officials found a mosquito carrying West Nile disease in Falmouth on Thursday, they say the future of the problem depends on weather, the Cape Cod Times reported.

The next two week's weather will help officials determine what may happen with the disease, Dr. Catherine Brown, state veterinarian with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, told the Times.

2007 was the last time a Cape person had West-Nile symptoms severe enough to be tested, said Gabrielle Sakolsky, assistant superintendent and entomologist with the Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project.

This is the first West-Nile mosquito to be discovered in Falmouth this year. No mosquitos carrying the disease were detected in 2012.

Long periods of warm weather can help accelerate the maturation of the type of mosquitoes known for spreading West Nile virus, said Kevin Cranston, director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. 

Rainfall also might play a part in the problem, as these mosquitoes thrive in pools of stagnant water.

Most people who contract West Nile virus won’t even know they have it. About 80 percent of cases are “very mild” and may not even involve a trip to the doctor’s office, Cranston said.

About 20 percent of people affected will have the typical viral symptoms—headache, sore throat, muscle aches, a mild or even high fever. But even these symptoms can be hard to diagnose as being caused by West Nile virus, Cranston said.

However, a small group of people who contact the virus—less than 1 percent—will experience more serious neurological symptoms and can end up with meningitis or encephalitis, Cranston said.

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Click here learn more about how to protect yourself from the disease.


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