WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- West Nile Virus continues to infect
Americans across the country and case counts have risen significantly in
recent weeks.
So far this year public health officials have reported 732 West Nile
infections, which are caused by mosquito bites. Most cases have been
diagnosed within the past month. Illinois officials reported 46 new WNV cases
last week, raising their total this year to 89. Nearly all are in the Chicago
area, primarily Cook County (46). California, which for the second straight
year has the most WNV cases (268 so far this year, 779 in 2004), is seeing a
slow decline after a peak in August.
West Nile Virus activity peaks in August and September, according to the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and floodwaters and rain from
Hurricane Katrina has heightened concern in many states. The CDC last year
reported of 2,749 human cases of WNV, with 900 the serious "neuroinvasive
disease" and 88 deaths.
Though WNV has declined since 2003, it is not going away. Prof. Jonathon
Day, Ph.D., a medical entomologist with the University of Florida, says
regional outbreaks of West Nile will regularly occur.
"West Nile Virus is definitely here to stay in the United States," Day
says. "Once a virus such as West Nile reaches an area, it will stay forever
in low levels. It may even die out for a period of time. Then, if the key
factors all come together, particularly certain weather patterns, a major
epidemic can occur."
Other mosquito-borne diseases threaten public health, such as Eastern
equine encephalitis. Though rare, EEE kills nearly half of those who become
infected. The most recent EEE epidemic was in North Carolina, where 26 cases
were reported in 2003. This year four cases of EEE have been diagnosed in New
Hampshire.
Prevention is Simple
Three steps experts frequently recommend for preventing both mosquito and
tick bites are avoiding spots where mosquitoes and ticks are plentiful,
wearing protective clothing and applying insect repellents, particularly those
containing DEET.
"DEET has long been the gold standard for effectiveness against
mosquitoes, ticks and many other insects, and DEET has been used by consumers
with confidence for nearly 50 years," said Susan Little, executive director of
the DEET Education Program, which is sponsored by leading companies that
manufacture DEET and formulate DEET-based repellents.
According to a New England Journal of Medicine article in 2002, DEET
offers superior protection against insect bites. The study compared
protection against mosquitoes provided by numerous repellents.
"Our study shows that only products containing DEET offer long-lasting
protection after a single application," the researchers wrote.
Based on that study and other research, the federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics, have
recommended DEET-based repellents to protect against mosquitoes and ticks.
New Recommendations Suggest Alternative to DEET in Some Circumstances
The CDC this year revised its recommendations on insect repellents. The
federal agency now tells consumers to use products registered with U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, which reviews evidence of safety and
effectiveness. Of the EPA-registered product types, CDC says "two have
demonstrated a higher degree of efficacy in the peer-reviewed, scientific
literature." Those are DEET and picaridin.
No repellent products in the world have been used more extensively than
those with DEET as the active ingredient, according to Little.
"Read label instructions carefully and follow them," she said. "Apply
repellents to exposed skin. To apply to your face or your child's face, put
product on your hands and them hand-apply to the face. This helps keep the
product out of the eyes and mouth."
The American Academy of Pediatrics says repellents containing up to 30
percent DEET can be used on children over two months of age.
Little recommends using DEET on clothing only if it is thin and tight-
fitting enough for mosquitoes to bite through. She cautioned that some
products can damage synthetic fibers but are fine to use on cotton and other
natural fibers. The most commonly reported problem with DEET-based repellents
is stinging from repellent in the eyes, which Little says is quickly remedied
by flushing the eyes with water or saline solution, according to the product's
precautionary statements on the label.
Consumers Can Get More Information
To help prevent West Nile Virus and other mosquito- and tick-borne
diseases, the DEET Education Program conducts nationwide outreach including
presentations at professional meetings. The DEP works with leading
organizations focused on Lyme disease to spread messages about prevention.
"The DEET Education Program this summer has donated nearly 20,000
containers of DEET-based insect repellents to low-income Californians and
we're making additional donations in other states to help prevent West Nile,"
said Little. "Along with our donations, we have co-sponsored with West Nile
prevention education events, in cooperation with public health agencies, in
Sacramento, Los Angeles and more than a dozen other cities."
Contact the DEP through its toll-free hotline (888-No-Bites or
888-662-4837) or http://www.deetonline.org with questions or brochure
requests.
SOURCE DEET Education Program
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Related links:
http://www.deetonline.org
CONTACT:
Edward Tate, +1-215-504-2035,
ed@kroegerpr.com, or Judi Anderson, +1-800-503-1299,
judi@kroegerpr.com, both for DEET Education Program
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