Summer is waning and cooler days are not far off, but health experts at the University of Colorado at Boulder and elsewhere are warning state residents to avoid mosquitoes through autumn to prevent West Nile virus.
Boulder County has had the highest number of West Nile virus reports in Colorado this year with 55 confirmed cases, including two deaths. This week, state health officials confirmed four new cases in the county.
Over the summer, two elderly men died of the virus and at least one member of the CU-Boulder community has been affected. A former graduate student contracted the mosquito-borne virus in early summer but has fully recovered, university health officials said recently.
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 255 Colorado residents in 29 counties have contracted the virus so far this year. State health officials say populations of Culex, the mosquito species that transmits the virus, have risen sharply along the northern Front Range.
"Anyone spending time outdoors through the rest of mosquito season should be aware of West Nile virus and the serious health risks the disease poses to those who are bitten by infected mosquitoes," said Sandra Sonoda, a registered nurse at CU-Boulder's Wardenburg Health Center. "We are advising our students, faculty and staff to take the necessary precautions to avoid the virus."
Of the 55 West Nile virus cases in Boulder County, 43 people came down with fevers, eight with meningitis and four with encephalitis. After becoming ill on July 5, an 89-year-old Boulder County man who died over the summer had developed meningoencephalitis, which is a combination of encephalitis, or brain swelling, and meningitis, which causes swelling of the brain's lining.
"His death is an unfortunate reminder of just how potentially serious West Nile virus infection can be and why residents should continue to take precautions against mosquito bites," said Heath Harmon, communicable disease division manager for Boulder County Public Health.
Harmon said older people and those with serious underlying medical conditions could be more vulnerable to the virus. He and other experts warn the risk will remain high through September or as long as there are warm temperatures and bodies of water where mosquitoes breed.
West Nile virus symptoms usually appear three to 14 days after an infected mosquito has bitten a person. In its mildest form, the virus may result only in a fever. Other warning signs include extreme fatigue, head and body aches, sore throat, skin rashes, swollen lymph nodes, blurred vision and loss of appetite. Worst-case scenarios include development of encephalitis, meningitis, loss of vision, paralysis, coma, tremors, convulsions and death.
There is no known treatment or cure for West Nile virus and Colorado health experts advise residents to "fight the bite" by following the "Four D's:"
o Dawn and Dusk: Use protection or avoid the outdoors during periods when mosquitoes are most active.
o Dress: Wear loose-fitting, lightweight long sleeves and trousers when outdoors. Spray thin clothing with insect repellant.
o DEET: Use an insect repellant with DEET, picaridin and lemon of eucalyptus oil, all approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. DEET generally provides the longest protection; the others should be applied more frequently. For children, use products with lower concentrations of DEET.
o Drain: Eliminate standing water in backyards and neighborhoods, including clogged rain gutters and flowerpots.
For more information about West Nile, call the Colorado Health Emergency Line, 1 (877) 462-2911, or see .