The deadly West Nile Virus has just been found in North Carolina.
New Hanover County found the positive sample of the virus was found in a mosquito in a trap near Greenville Loop Rd.
According to the CDC, symptoms of the West Nile Virus include:
- High fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.
- Severe illness can occur in people of any age; however, people over 60 years of age are at greater risk. People with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and people who have received organ transplants, are also at greater risk.
- Recovery from severe illness might take several weeks or months. Some effects to the central nervous system might be permanent.
- About 1 out of 10 people who develop severe illness affecting the central nervous system die.
There are currently no known vaccines or treatments.
The North Carolina Department of Health recommends dumping any standing water on your property, including flowerpots, gutters, buckets, pool covers, birdbaths and pet bowls. The EPA recommends using natural BTI on standing water to quickly kill mosquito larvae.
They also encourage people wear insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, essential oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR 3535 before going outside on humid days.