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JBSA News
NEWS | Aug. 9, 2012

Experts detect West Nile Virus on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston

By Elaine Sanchez and Howard Givens San Antonio Military Medical Center Public Affairs and 559th Aerospace Medicine Squadron

Summer brings backyard barbecues, hiking, camping and increased outdoor activities. It also brings more mosquitoes, and with them potentially serious illnesses from germs some mosquitoes carry.

West Nile Virus is an illness spread by mosquitoes that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tends to flare up in summer and continue into the fall. Since 2002, West Nile Virus has occurred each year throughout Texas and much of the continental United States.

Even though West Nile Virus can cause serious illness, the CDC cautions that most people who catch the virus experience the mild form or no symptoms at all and there are simple prevention measures that people can take to greatly decrease their risk of illness. The Texas Department of State Health Services advises that people use insect repellent every time they go outside, avoid going outside at dawn and dusk - when mosquitoes are more active - and drain standing water from around their homes.

There has been a higher than usual number of human West Nile Virus cases in Texas this year due to the warm winter and recent rains, resulting in better breeding conditions for virus-carrying mosquitoes.

during the past 10 years, 49 cases on average were reported to state health officials, but in 2012 there have been 111 human West Nile Virus cases and one death reported statewide, mostly from the North Texas region.

According to the CDC, milder West Nile Virus illness improves on its own and people do not necessarily need to seek medical attention for this infection, though they may choose to do so.

People who develop symptoms of severe West Nile Virus illness, such as unusually severe headaches or confusion, should seek medical attention immediately. Severe West Nile Virus illness usually requires hospitalization.

Pregnant women, nursing mothers and those with weakened immune systems are encouraged to talk to their doctor if they develop symptoms that could be West Nile Virus.

According to experts, 80 percent of patients bitten by West Nile Virus-infected mosquitoes will have no symptoms; 20 percent may develop flu-like symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting and occasional rash on the chest and back; and one percent may develop more severe symptoms of meningitis, encephalitis or paralysis. People typically develop symptoms between three and 14 days after they are bitten by an infected mosquito.

However, experts added that only specific mosquito species can transmit West Nile Virus, so most mosquito bites don't warrant medical evaluation. The chances any person will become severely ill from any one mosquito bite are extremely small.

Community residents and building managers can take a few simple precautionary measures to ensure everyone's safety, according to Frank Martinez, 502nd Civil Engineer Squadron pest control unit team leader.

"Many mosquito problems can be reduced by eliminating breeding sites of standing water and emptying containers that hold water," Martinez said. "That is the single most effective measure people can take to eliminate the places where mosquitoes breed."

Other measures include:

-- Not allowing puddles to form on lawns as a result of excessive watering;
-- Placing tiny holes in the bottom of recycling bins without lids;
-- Replacing water in birdbaths;
-- Getting rid of old tires;
-- Preventing bottles, tin cans, buckets or drums from collecting water;
-- Wearing a long-sleeve shirt or pants if going outdoors at dawn, dusk or the early evening; and
-- Spraying insect repellent on clothing and rubbing it gently on face, ears, neck and hands, especially if outdoors after dusk or before dawn.

West Nile Virus has been detected on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

"Three sample pools of mosquitoes collected recently by Public Health Command South tested positive for West Nile Virus," Capt. Lyndsay Knoblock-Fast, San Antonio Military Medical Center preventive medicine entomologist, said. "They've since confirmed one human case, one suspected case and no confirmed animal cases of the virus."

Larviciding, which is mosquito population control, will be performed in specific locations as deemed necessary, officials said. If needed, local authorities will notify tenant commands and housing residents of fogging dates and times.

No mosquitoes from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph have tested positive for West Nile Virus. Base public health offices continue to monitor the mosquito population and work with base pest control to mitigate local risk.

Call the 559th Medical Group Public Health Office at 210-671-9623 for JBSA-Lackland-specific questions or concerns. At Randolph, please contact the 359th MDG Public Health section at 210-652-2456.

For more information on the virus, visit the CDC and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/.