West Nile Virus Confirmed in Burlington Mosquitoes - How to Protect Yourself

Mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile Virus in Burlington. 

According to a release, the Burlington Board of Health would like to inform residents that West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected in mosquitoes collected from Burlington on July 18.  

WNV can infect people of all ages, however, people over the age of 50 are at higher risk for severe disease. WNV is usually transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito, the Board of Health stated. Most people infected with WNV will have no symptoms. When present, WNV symptoms tend to include fever and flu-like illness. In rare cases, more severe illness can occur.

There are precautions that can be taken to help slow the spread of the virus and to protect yourself from infection. 

The Burlington Board of Health requests that residents inspect their property to ensure that all standing water is removed.  Unused buckets and containers, plastic toys, tires, wading pools, etc should be emptied and water in birdbaths should be changed frequently.  During the summer, mosquito larvae can complete their development in water within a week.  

Residents should also take precautions to protect themselves from mosquito bites applying insect repellent or wearing additional clothing during peak mosquito hours from dusk to dawn and ensuring that all windows and doors have tightly fitting screens.

Here are some additional tips to avoid mosquitoes and WNV by the Mass Department of Health:

• Schedule outdoor events to avoid the hours between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.
• When you are outdoors, wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and socks. This may be difficult to do when the weather is hot, but it will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin.  
• Use a repellent with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide), permethrin, picaridin (KBR 3023), IR3535 (3-[N-butyl-N-acetyl]-aminopropionic acid) or oil of lemon eucalyptus [p-menthane 3, 8-diol (PMD)], according to the instructions on the product label.
• DEET products should not be used on infants under two months of age and should be used in concentrations of 30% or less on older children.
• Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three years of age.
• Permethrin products are intended for use on items such as clothing, shoes, bed nets and camping gear and should not be applied to skin.

More information on choosing and using repellents safely is included in the MDPH Mosquito Repellents fact sheet which can be viewed online at www.mass.gov/dph/wnv. If you can’t go online, contact the MDPH at (617) 983-6800 for a hard copy.

The Burlington Board of Health continues to work closely with the MDPH and the East Middlesex Mosquito Control Commission.  If residents have any questions about mosquitoes or how to control them, contact the East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project at 781-899-5730 or the Burlington Board of Health at 781-270-1955.