Statewide Iowa — (RI) — Temperatures have cooled in recent weeks, but a spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Public Health says that isn’t enough yet to slow down all mosquito activity.
There’s been an increase in cases of the West Nile Virus virus in Iowa this year and Deputy State Epidemiologist Anne Garvey says you shouldn’t let up on protecting yourself.
This year’s summer flooding and increase in mosquitoes may be a contributing factor in the increase in West Nile cases. But Doctor Garvey says, most people that become infected don’t even know it. While others could contract another more severe disease — such as meningitis. With meningitis you can get a fever, severe headache and a stiff neck.
Doctor Garvey says if you are in an area that has been getting a lot of rain, you should continue to take steps to try and hamper areas where mosquitoes can breed.
The mosquito danger in Iowa does not end until after the first hard frost. West Nile was first identified in Iowa during 2002 and cases of the virus this year have hit the second highest number of infections recorded in the state. The highest total reported was in 2003 when Iowa had 147 cases.
