By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
OTSEGO—A wild crow in Otsego tested positive for West Nile virus, the Allegan County Health Department announced last week.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services informed the ACHD of the positive test on Thursday, Sept. 29.
The bird was found dead in a yard.
There have been no reported or confirmed cased of West Nile virus in humans as of Friday, Sept. 30, according to officials for the county health department. Still, the ACHD urges precautions be taken to protect against possible infection.
“Residents are encouraged to protect themselves and their loved ones from mosquito bites, which is how (West Nile virus) and other diseases can spread,” the ACHD said in a press release. “Mosquitoes stay active until the first hard frost of the year.”
The department recommends the following steps to avoid mosquito bites and, in turn, the diseases mosquitoes carry:
• Apply insect repellents that contain the active ingredient DEET, or other U.S. Environmental Protection Agency registered products to exposed skin or clothing, and always follow the manufacturer’s directions for use.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.
• Maintain window and door screening to help keep mosquitoes outside.
• Empty water from mosquito breeding sites around the home, such as buckets, unused kiddie pools, old tires or similar sites where mosquitoes may lay eggs.
• Use nets and/or fans over outdoor eating areas.
West Nile virus is an infection with symptoms that can range from mild to severe. Those symptoms include:
• Fever
• Headache
• Body Aches
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Rash on chest, stomach or back).
Contact your primary care physician if you suspect you or someone you know has been infected with West Nile virus.
For more information on West Nile virus and other mosquito-related diseases, visit the Centers for Disease Control or Michigan Department of Health and Human Services websites.
