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 FIGHT THE BITE AND AVOID WEST NILE
When dealing with the WNV, prevention is your best bet. The Kern County Health Department notes that avoiding mosquito bites is the only way to ensure people do not become infected with the virus and urges residents to take steps to minimize their exposure.
3 Ways to Reduce Your West Nile Virus Risk:
- Avoid Mosquito Bites
- Mosquito-Proof Your Home
- Help Your Community
Avoid Mosquito Bites:
Apply Insect Repellent Containing DEET according to label instructions to exposed skin when you go outdoors. Even a short time being outdoors can be long enough to get a mosquito bite. For details on when and how to apply repellent, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at:
Clothing Can Help Reduce Mosquito Bites. When possible, wear long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors. Mosquitos may bite through thin clothing, so spraying clothes with repellent containing permethrin or DEET will give added protection. Do not apply repellents containing permethrin directly to skin. Do not spray repellent containing DEET of the skin under your clothing.
Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours. Avoid spending time outside at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are active. They are especially active for two hours after sunset.
Mosquito-Proof Your Home:
Drain Standing Water. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the under of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by getting rid of items that hold water.
Install or Repair Screens. Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Make sure that doors and windows have tight fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or holes.
Help Your Community:
Report Dead Birds: Birds play an important role in maintaining and spreading this virus. Mosquitoes acquire the virus from infected birds, and then transmit the virus to people. Evidence of the virus in dead birds is often the first indication that WNV has been introduced into a new region. If you find a dead bird, particularly a crow, jay, magpie, raven, sparrow, finch, or raptor, please call the West Nile Virus Information and Dead Bird Reporting at 877-968-2473 or e-mail at arbovirus@dhs.ca.gov.
Clean Up. Mosquito breeding sites can be anywhere. Neighborhood clean up days can be organized by civic or youth organizations to pick up containers from vacant lots and parks, and to encourage people to keep their yards free of standing water.
What to Look For:
The chance that any one person is going to become ill from a single mosquito bite remains low. The risk of severe illness and death is highest for people over 50 years old, although people of all ages can become ill. Most people who are bitten by a mosquito with WNV will not get sick. When infection does cause illness, symptoms will usually appear within two to 15 days. The extent and severity of symptoms vary widely from person to person. In mild cases, there may be flu-like symptoms, including fever, headaches and body aches. Some people may also develop a mild rash or swollen lymph glands. For people with more severe illness, symptoms could include a rapid onset of severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, nausea, difficulty swallowing, vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, loss of consciousness, lack of coordination, muscle weakness and paralysis. Other symptoms that have been identified include movement disorders, parkinsonism, poliomyelitis-like symptoms and muscle degeneration.
At Chain-Younger, we see many clients with accident-related and other types of health problems. In an effort to maintain your good health, we encourage anyone experiencing a sudden onset of these symptoms to seek immediate medical attention.
-David Cohn
HOT TOPIC
PROTECT YOUR ATM AND DEBIT CARDS
All of us enjoy the conveniences of the 24-hour ATM and debit cards. However, so do criminals! Many people do not know that when you insert your card into an ATM machine, at the same time someone may be accessing your account. The following suggestions may help you protect your ATM or debit cards:
- Don't carry your PIN in your wallet or purse or write it on your ATM or debit card.
- Never write your PIN on the outside of a deposit slip, an envelope, or other papers that could be easily lost or seen.
- Carefully check ATM or debit card transactions before you enter the PIN or before you sign the receipt; the funds for this item will be fairly quickly transferred out of your checking or other deposit account.
- Periodically check your account activity. This is particularly important if you bank online. Compare the current balance and recent withdrawals or transfers to those you've recorded, including your current ATM and debit card withdrawals and purchases and your recent checks. If you notice transactions you didn't make, or if your balance has dropped suddenly without activity by you, immediately report the problem to your card issuer. Someone may have co-opted your account information to commit fraud.
- Carefully examine an ATM before you use it, specially if it is a stand-alone or mini ATM. If you detect something suspicious - a discolored card reader or an unresponsive keypad - use another ATM.
- Be weary of nearby strangers who offer to help you if you are having difficulties with a particular ATM.
- If an ATM does not return your card, contact your bank immediately and place a stop on the account.
GROUP LAW SERVICE
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