Experts: Start early with mosquito control

Reducing the number of West Nile virus cases begins with you.

That was the message Tuesday at the 2010 West Nile Virus and Mosquito Control Conference at the Davison County Fairgrounds in Mitchell.

West Nile is a disease in birds that can be spread to humans through mosquito bites. It’s killed 26 people and sickened more than 1,700 in the state since 2002, according to the Associated Press.

State Epidemiologist Lon Kightlinger was one of the featured speakers at Tuesday’s event.

“We’ve had West Nile in South Dakota for the past eight years, and we are unfortunately expecting it to be present again this year,” he said. “We don’t yet know what the intensity will be or how many people will get sick and/or die, but we know it will be back —we hope it’s minimal.”

Several factors determine the severity of West Nile season, including the heat, the number of birds and the number of mosquitoes. In South Dakota, the disease typically peaks in August.

Kightlinger said mosquito-control efforts should start now with larvacide applications to places where mosquitoes can breed, such as pools of standing water.

“You want to start early to spray the adults so we don’t have a lot of humans being sick and dying in August,” Kightlinger said.

Last year in the state, 21 people were infected with the virus, but no one died. In fact, Kightlinger said, no South Dakotan has died from West Nile for the past two years. In Davison County, there have been 69 cases since 2002 with no deaths reported.

Kightlinger said the two years without any deaths gives him hope, but he is still uneasy because of the virus’ unpredictability.

“What we really can’t predict is the intensity of the mosquitoes, so we don’t know if we are going to have another year with 21 cases and no deaths, or if it’s going to be a hot year where we will have 1,000 cases. We just don’t know yet.”

Any place where water is present, mosquitoes can breed. Birdbaths, old tires and any water that accumulates for a week or two can be a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. “One that always irritates me is when you have your tarp over your snowmobile during the summer and you get that pool of water on the tarp and then you see it just swarming with mosquitoes,” Kightlinger said.

Kightlinger said each family should take care of its house and property and also use repellent.

“Wear long sleeves, especially in the evening,” he said. “One of the other things we’ve learned is that around 8 p.m., the mosquito gets really hungry and starts biting.”

Kightlinger advises using a reputable repellant and staying away from “old wives’ tale remedies.”

“I know it puts a cramp in our styles because we like to camp, fish and have picnics, but people need to wear their repellent and long sleeves,” he said. “You don’t have to go out in your skimpiest clothes.”

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