Preventing West Nile

It may only be the beginning of Summer, but if you've been outside you have likely noticed how bad the bugs are.  After record amounts of rainfall, you should expect them to get even worse.

The good news is, while they are certainly annoying, health officials say the increase in the mosquito population is more of a nuisance than a health risk.

Steve Tackitt, a Health Officer, said, "Even if an individual is bitten by a mosquito that has West Nile, usually only 1 in 10 know that.  They may have a mild fever and be kind of upset, so there's really no way of telling and many times people don't even have symptoms."

Health officials say there are some precautions you can take to help protect yourself from the West Nile and help control the mosquito population.  They suggest you drain standing water from your yard on a regular basis, be sure to empty water from potential mosquito breeding sites like buckets and barrels, and finally, be sure to change the water in bird baths and pet dishes regularly.