What's the trendy new disease being touted by the media? It's the Zika virus ... and it's transmitted by mosquitoes.
Uh oh. Summer is en route. Mosquitoes, too.
Well, no. The mosquitoes that will soon be buzzing Eagle Lake, don't harbor the Zika virus. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not a single person has gotten the virus from a mosquito in the contiguous United States.
Foreign countries are different. Zika virus is a danger if you travel to Mexico, the Caribbean and some South American nations. Tropical mosquitoes in these areas carry the virus. More than 350 "travel-related" Zika cases have been reported in the U.S., where people returned from a foreign country after being infected.
The glaring threat of Zika virus is its connection to serious birth defects, including brain damage. Pregnant women, or those planning to become pregnant, should be especially careful about foreign travel.
Otherwise, Zika virus disease isn't fatal. It does have some undesirable symptoms – fever, rash and joint pain. So, if Zika comes up in conversation this summer, rest easy. Like malaria and dengue fever, it's borne by tropical mosquitoes that don't frequent Eagle Lake, southeastern Wisconsin or northern Illinois.
Just like mosquitoes love woods, though, we aren't out of the woods regarding mosquito-transmitted illness. West Nile virus, which appeared in the United States about 15 years ago, is a risk. In the Eagle Lake area, Illinois had 72 cases reported in 2015. Wisconsin had nine.
Eagle Lake local mosquitoes can transmit West Nile virus. Its danger to people varies. In the vast majority of cases, an infected person has no symptoms.
About 1 in 5 infected people develops fever and other symptoms: headache, body pain, vomiting and rash. Most recover completely.
Yet, a fraction of those infected develop serious neurologic illness, and can even die. People over sixty are at greatest risk. With Eagle Lake summer activities pending – pool parties, family gatherings, the 4th of July and others – it's worth considering how to guard yourself and others from the West Nile virus.
Guarding against mosquitoes, period, decreases the chance of running into one (or more) with West Nile. A mosquito repellent treatment by The Mosquito Guy keeps mosquitoes away for 30 days. We travel to Eagle Lake and throughout southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
Prices start at just $125 per treatment. It's a small expense to pay for peace of mind regarding West Nile ... and the peace of no mosquitoes buzzing around your ears. Call 262-521-1258, request a mosquito control quote or e-mail margie@themosquitoguy.com, to schedule an application for your Eagle Lake yard.
Zika virus isn't a threat here. Other mosquito-borne ailments are. The Mosquito Guy will make sure that you, and those you love, are safeguarded from all.