Mosquitoes are primarily attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale. We are attacked mostly by mosquitoes breeding or nesting on our own properties. We have been able to reduce the amount of mosquitoes around the average property by around 90%. My son and I could not go outside without being attacked. After we started treating our property, it was like we turned off a switch. They were just gone!
West Nile Virus
West Nile virus is what I would worry most about here in North Texas. According to CDC.gov; West Nile virus is most commonly transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. You can reduce your risk of being infected with West Nile virus by using insect repellent and wearing protective clothing to prevent mosquito bites. There are no medications to treat or vaccines to prevent West Nile virus infection. Fortunately, most people infected with West Nile virus will have no symptoms. About 1 in 5 people infected will develop a fever with other systems. Less than 1% of infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, neurological illness.
Every year we have several counties in North Texas which have mosquitoes that test positive for West Nile. Several areas spray from trucks, and some aerial spraying even occurs. Unfortunately, this does little to help treat mosquitoes nesting on your property. It will kill the mosquitoes flying through the material as it is in the air, but leaves no residual product to kill mosquitoes later. There is also a lot of fear being generated from the Zika virus now. CDC has relocated several million dollars for additional Zika research. They say it's just a matter of time before we will be dealing with it here. It has happened already in Miami, and in November 2016 in South Texas.
Pets can be targets of mosquitoes as well. I recommend flea and tick medications which can also offer protection from mosquitoes.
ACCORDING TO A DALLAS MORNING NEWS ARTICLE: According to CDC.gov, almost 40,000 US residents have documented West Nile viral disease since 1999. Mosquito-borne West Nile virus is responsible for 17,000 serious illnesses and more than 1600 deaths.
What Texans Need To Know About Zika Virus.
What is Zika?
Zika is the name given to a mosquito transmitted disease caused by the Zika virus. The Zika virus is not new, but sometime between 2007 and 2014 the virus began to expand into new countries, and perhaps became more dangerous to people. The illness caused by the Zika virus is usually mild compared to some other mosquito carried viruses like dengue fever, West Nile virus, and chikungunya. Only 20% of people infected with Zika will feel ill. These individuals typically develop mild symptoms that include fever, joint pain, red itchy eyes (conjunctivitis) and rash. Symptoms typically occur 2 to 7 days following a bite from an infected mosquito. More severe symptoms may occur in some individuals. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon and death due to the virus is rare. The association between Zika and a type of paralysis called Guillain-Barre syndrome is under investigation. Until recently, Zika was considered a mild disease with few lasting effects; however, public health officials are now concerned that pregnant individuals who contract Zika will pass the virus on to their unborn babies which may result in a type of birth defect known as microcephaly. Microcephaly is a condition where the fetal head and brain do not fully develop and reach normal size. At present there is no vaccine or preventive treatment for Zika, nor a cure for microcephaly. They are also looking into other brain deformities related to Zika.
How do I get Zika?
A person gets Zika from the bite of an infected mosquito or through having sexual relations with someone infected with the virus. In turn, mosquitoes may contact the virus when they bite a person who is currently infected with the Zika virus. The best carrier of the Zika virus is a mosquito called the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Another closely related species, the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is also able to carry Zika virus, though we don’t know the degree to which Aedes albopictus may be contributing to Zika virus transmission in the Americas. Both mosquitoes are common in Texas, and may be found in the same communities. Since 2002, the most important mosquito transmitted disease in Texas has been West Nile virus. West Nile virus is carried by a different mosquito, the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus. Unlike the night flying Culex mosquitoes, Aedes mosquitoes are active throughout the day and into the evening. For this reason, it is now critical to protect against mosquito bites during both day and night. According to the latest reports from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) , Zika can be transmitted by having sex with someone who has the virus. Until the cases in Miama, this is the only way local transmission of Zika had occurred in the United States. In countries where Zika transmission occurs via mosquitoes, sexual transmission is a far less common means of spreading than mosquitoes. For this reason, the US Centers for Disease Control recently recommended that women with confirmed cases of Zika, or who have experienced symptoms of the virus, wait at least eight weeks after the start of their symptoms before trying to get pregnant. Additionally, men with confirmed cases of Zika, or who have had symptoms of the virus, are now advised to wait at least six months after their symptoms begin before having unprotected sex. This information is based on the current best information on how long the Zika virus is known to remain active in the body and in semen.
Should I be worried about Zika?
Outbreaks of Zika are occurring in many countries and territories, and because the mosquitoes that spread Zika virus are found throughout the world, it is likely that outbreaks will spread to new countries. On Feb. 1, 2016 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern because of clusters of microcephaly and other neurological disorders in some areas affected by Zika. Additionally, local transmission of Zika has been reported in US territories, including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. The principal risk is for travelers to areas where Zika is active. Local transmission of Zika might be possible during the active mosquito season and an increased number of people returning to the State while infected. You're local health department, the Texas Department of State Health Services, and the Center for Disease Control are good sources to keep informed about changes in the risk of Zika transmission in you're area.
How can I prevent Zika?
Mosquitoes can bite any time when you are outdoors, even for short trips to water the garden or a trip to the mail box. Anyone remaining outdoors for extended periods of time in mosquito infested areas should wear long-sleeves, long-pants and light-colored, loose-fitting clothing to prevent mosquitoes from biting. Skin applied repellents also can provide good protection from mosquito bites for 2 to 12 hours. Repellent should only be applied to clothing and exposed skin. Do not apply it underneath clothing. If you want to apply repellent to you're face, spray you're hands with repellent and rub it onto you're face. Do not spray repellent directly into you're face or near eyes or mouth. Make sure to apply repellent outdoors. Do not allow children to handle repellents. Wash hands before eating, smoking or using the restroom after applying these products. The Center for Disease Control recommends using a product registered with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) containing one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535 and some of the products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus.
I would like to thank Wizzie Brown and Michael Merchant with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service as well as the Center for Disease Control and the Texas Department of State Heath Services for the information about the Zika Virus. For more information and links to resources – http://preventingzika.org/
Zika carrying mosquitoes are now in the United States. August 1st, 2016
WYNWOOD, Fla. – Gov. Rick Scott announced the number of Zika cases likely spread by local mosquitoes had increased to 14 and asked Monday August 1st 2016 for a federal emergency response team to help the state combat the spread of the virus in the U.S. The governor also said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would issue a travel warning to pregnant women or those thinking of becoming pregnant to avoid a square mile area in Miami-Dade County, where officials believe the active transmissions of Zika are occurring. Officials announced four cases on Friday, believed to be first people to contract the virus from mosquitoes within the 50 states. The CDC's emergency response team will help Florida officials in their investigation, sample collection and mosquito control efforts. The White House said the CDC team would be deployed to Florida "in short order." Florida health officials said they've tested more than 200 people in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties after reports of local transmissions of the virus in early July. Of the 14 people infected, two are women and 12 are men.
“Zika is now here,” Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news briefing. “We would not be surprised if individual additional cases are reported,” he said. And because Zika infection often does not produce any symptoms, “there may be more cases than we know of now.” http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/08/01/florida-gov-says-14-zika-cases-likely-caused-by-mosquito.html The Florida cases signal a new stage in an epidemic that has left a trail of birth defects (link) in Brazil and strained health care resources throughout Latin America. The epidemic is raging in Puerto Rico, CDC officials reported last week: Two percent of blood donors there have been recently infected, and hundreds of pregnant women have tested positive.
Researchers had long predicted that the Zika virus would gain a toehold in the continental United States, most likely in Florida and along the Gulf Coast. While the outbreak is not expected to escalate sharply, its course is uncertain. There are now more than 1,600 confirmed Zika cases in the continental United States. Until the announcement on Friday, all of them had been a result of travel abroad: The virus was contracted either by a mosquito bite elsewhere or by intercourse with someone who had been to a Zika-affected area.
We have had a case of mosquito transmitted Zika in South Texas as of November 2016.