BOH explains virus risks

Editor's Note: The following announcements were issued by the Longmeadow Board of Health relative to West Nile Virus prevention and detection. For questions, please contact the Board of Health.

LONGMEADOW In the five years since West Nile Disease was first identified in the United States, this disease has become endemic in practically all states including Massachusetts. Fortunately, most individuals who become infected with West Nile Virus Disease show no symptoms or develop only a mild illness.

However, individuals over age 50 are at a greater risk of developing serious illness when they get infected. Since no vaccine has yet been developed to prevent illness once individuals become infected, the only way to prevent illness is to prevent the transmission of the virus that is the causative agent.

The West Nile Virus is primarily transmitted to individuals through the bite of mosquitoes. The species of mosquito that carries West Nile Virus is active in New England from mid-June through the first frost.Therefore the Longmeadow Board of Health as well as the Mass. Department of Public Health recommend that residents immediately begin to employ the following measures to reduce the risk for being bitten by mosquitoes:

Avoid exposure out of doors between dusk in the evening and sunrise in the morning, the hours of peak mosquito activity

Cover-up: Individuals are encouraged to wear long-sleeved clothing, long pants, and socks especially during the peak hours of mosquito activity

Use insect repellents according to manufacturers' directions. Mosquito repellents containing the active ingredient DEET may be applied to exposed skin. Adults should not use products with a DEET concentration exceeding 30-35 percent; products with a maximum concentration of DEET of 10-15 percent should be selected for use on infants and young children. Additionally repellents should not be applied to the hands of children and babies as the product may be spread on their hands on to their eyes and into their mouths. Permethrin repellent products are also recommended, but should only be applied to clothing (i.e. not directly onto the skin).

Install screens and repair defective screens to keep mosquitoes out of your home

Prevent standing water on your property: remove water from empty flower pots and barrels; maintain home rain gutters free of debris; remove or cover stored tires; change water in bird baths and backyard kiddy pools at least once/ week; and keep swimming pool filtration systems running continuously.

Fact sheets are available

The Board of Health has made available West Nile Disease Fact Sheets for residents who desire more detailed information; displays are set up at the Storrs Library, Longmeadow Town Hall, and the Senior Center. For further information or to file a report regarding a dead crow or blue jay found in Longmeadow, kindly call the Board of Health (565-4140).

The Longmeadow Board of Health is again participating in West Nile surveillance activities in partnership with the Mass. Department of Public Health.

One of the components of this surveillance involves the viral testing of dead crows and bluejays, the bird species which are early indicators of the presence of West Nile Virus-bearing mosquitos in a community.

The Longmeadow Board of Health will receive telephone reports regarding all dead crows and bluejays. However, pick-ups will be restricted to specimens eligible for testing at the State Public Health Laboratory (i.e. Crows and bluejays which appear to have died within the last 24 hours).

Residents who find dead crows or bluejays on their property should call the Longmeadow Board of Health (567-4140). If the staff is out of the office, kindly leave your name and contact information and your call will be returned during business hours.

Board of Health staff will request information from callers to ascertain whether the specimen is eligible for testing. If the specimen is eligible for testing, a Board of Health staff member will come to your home to pick-up the specimen during business hours. Do not bring in specimens to the town offices.

Dead birds who do not meet the testing criteria or are found by residents during the weekend will not be picked-up and should be packaged in a double plastic bag for disposal in the regular curbside trash pick-up. Birds should not be handled with bare hands as birds may carry a variety of bacteria and viruses in addition to West Nile Virus.

As surveillance activities continue through the summer and early autumn, the protocol may need to be modified; the public will be notified of any changes in procedures.

What you can do to help prevent West Nile in your community

The Longmeadow Board of Health is requesting residents to assist the town in the prevention of West Nile Disease by keeping the grates of the storm drains on the streets clear of debris. Proper run-off of rainwater into the storm drains after summer rainstorms will prevent the formation of stagnant pools of water in which mosquitoes lay their eggs.

Information sheets on West Nile Disease are available at the Library and Town Hall lobby. These fact sheets provide a listing of additional environmental control measures that should also be implemented to prevent West Nile Disease.