Take steps to reduce threat of mosquitoes

Steady now … they are coming. Closer, closer …

Suddenly you feel the unmistakable jab of a mosquito’s proboscis as it pierces skin on the side of your face. Dreading the swelling and itch you know will come later, you desperately want to swat the mosquito and make it pay for rudely interrupting your hunt. Somehow, you manage to maintain self-control and focus your attention on the ducks setting their wings over your decoys. You shoulder your shotgun and it barks with each squeeze of the trigger. Birds fall, the dog jumps in the water and the now-swollen mosquito flies away with a full load of your Grade-A blood.

In the midst of excitement and adrenaline you forget about the mosquito, but only until the itching starts. At about 6 millimeters in length, the little guy can only take so much of your blood, but it’s not what the little thief takes that creates a problem. It is what the critters sometimes leave behind that should concern you.

Mosquitoes have long been associated with such blood-borne diseases as yellow fever, dengue fever and malaria, and most recently with the West Nile virus.

West Nile virus is a potentially dangerous illness that is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes, but not everyone that is bitten by an infected mosquito develops symptoms of the illness. While the illness may cause death in some victims and severe symptoms in others, about 80 percent of infected people never even know they have been infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms may include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, paralysis, nausea, a rash and vision loss, among others. A severe case of West Nile virus may lead to encephalitis.

First discovered in the United States in 1999, West Nile virus quickly spread and showed up on the West Coast in 2002. Nevada’s first reported case occurred in 2004 and has since been found in all 17 counties. More than 3,140 cases of West Nile virus have been reported nationwide in 2012 alone. While Texas leads the way with 1,225 cases and 50 deaths, there have been only two reported cases of West Nile in Nevada this year. But that could change quickly as hunters and anglers head to the field and stream this fall.

Waterfowl hunters and anglers may be most susceptible to West Nile virus because the activities they pursue occur in mosquito country. This is especially true for those of you who enjoy hunting waterfowl in the wetlands, where mosquitoes gather in large numbers. Obviously, the key to minimizing the risk of contracting the virus is to lessen the chance of being bitten by a mosquito in the first place.

The only sure way to prevent mosquito bites is to stay home, but who wants to do that?

There are some steps, however, that you can take to minimize the risk. Since mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk, this would be a good time to wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants. Clothing made of heavy cloth can provide a barrier between your skin and a mosquito’s proboscis. For exposed skin, the CDC recommends using a quality insect repellent containing an EPA-registered product such as DEET, Picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His “In the Outdoors” column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at intheoutdoorslv@gmail.com.