Now that you know how to protect yourself, what about protecting your home and family?
Invest in Good Screens. Making sure that your doors and windows are covered with screens that are in good condition is an important step in preventing mosquito bites.
Remove Mosquito Breeding Sites. Mosquitoes need standing water in order to propagate. Remove standing water—or replace it on a weekly basis—from flower pots, buckets, barrels, and any other objects that can hold water (such as swing seats, pet dishes, bird baths, and clogged rain gutters). With no places to lay their eggs around your home, mosquitoes will have to go elsewhere.
Protect Your Children. Make sure that your children are wearing insect repellant and that infant carriers are covered by mosquito netting when outdoors.
Community Prevention
Creating a mosquito-free oasis in the middle of a mosquito-epidemic will do little good—mosquitoes aren’t afraid of crossing over fences. You’ll need to help your community prevent WNV breakouts as well.
Mosquito Control Programs. You can find out from local health authorities if your community has a mosquito control program. If there isn’t one, work with your local government to develop a program. The American Mosquito Control Association (www.mosquito.org) has great advice on initiating and maintaining a mosquito control program.
Neighborhood Cleanups. Removing mosquito breeding sites from around your home is an important step. Take that step a bit farther and remove mosquito breeding sites from your community. Civic and youth organizations, or even neighborhood groups can organize neighborhood cleanups to remove containers from vacant lots and parks and encourage homeowners to do the same for their own property.
Report Dead Birds. Dead birds may be a sign of WNV in your area. According to the CDC, 284 species of wild and captive birds have been infected by the virus. This doesn’t mean that every dead bird you see died from WNV, but reporting dead birds to local authorities may prevent an outbreak in your community. Remember, never handle a bird carcass with your bare hands. Contact local authorities for instructions on reporting and disposing of the dead body.