By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – If you feel you're being eaten alive by mosquitoes lately, you're not alone.
The silent insects have been causing a number of problems with area residents, and have been leaving their mark all over the place.
"I counted 12 on my arms and legs just today and I'm tired of scratching them," Jim Martin of Berrien Springs said Thursday while taking a lunch break at Subway in Niles.
Martin said he was outside for about 15 minutes Monday evening doing work around the yard. After only a few minutes, he began feeling the mosquitoes attack him. He said he went inside and tried the Off wipes his wife had, but they didn't seem to work.
"Either that or I missed a bunch of spots," he laughed. "They are just terrible right now. Makes you not even want to go outside. We haven't been letting our kids or our pets outside after about 5 p.m. because that's about the time we start seeing them. They are so thick right now that they just sit on our screen door. It's like they're waiting for us to come outside."
Martin and his family are not alone. Everyone seems to be having problems with mosquitoes and now, with the threat of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), people want to know how to keep themselves safe.
Though no human cases have been reported, eight emus in Buchanan died from the illness, and two horses in Cass County and Elkhart County, Ind. have tested positive for the disease. Four turkeys recently died from West Nile Virus (WNV) in Cass County as well.
"Michigan residents need to know the risks associated with mosquito-borne illnesses, which is why we are encouraging citizens to observe several common sense steps to limit exposure to mosquitoes," said Janet Olszewski, MDCH director.
"One bite from an infected mosquitoes can lead to a severe – and possibly life-altering illness. Prevention is the key to protection."
EEE and WNV are both caused by viruses found in wild birds. Mosquitoes that feed on birds infected with EEE or WNV can transmit the disease to humans, horses and other birds.
Some birds are able to harbor the WNV or EEE viruses without becoming ill, thereby serving as reservoirs for the disease. Horses do not develop high enough levels of these viruses in their blood to be contagious to other animals or humans. Because of the high mortality rate for horses and humans, EEE is regarded as one of the most serious mosquito-borne diseases in the United States.
EEE is a rare disease, with only 224 cases from 1964 to 2006, but the recent weather conditions have made the mosquito population seem to triple. A very warm and dry summer, followed much much-needed rain in August, has led to the infestation, which is causing many headaches and now, illnesses.
"Eastern equine encephalitis has been a round for a while, it's just that West Nile has gotten all of the attention the last five or six years, so no one really has heard anything about it," said Gary Witkowski, Berrien County Health Department Environmental Health Services manager.
To avoid being attack by the mosquitoes, Witkowski said people should take normal precautions, just as they would if they were planning on being outdoors on a nice summer night.
"People should try to stay indoors at times when mosquitoes are most active, which is dawn and dusk, though they seem to be out a lot more in the evenings. If you are going to be outdoors, be sure to have a mosquito repellent with deed in it and fix all of the holes in screens and windows, or try to cover them," Witkowski said.
He also said this is a good time to clean out your gutters or anything laying around that has water in it or will hold water after a rainfall.
"Gutters are perfect for mosquitoes to breed in, especially if they are plugged because the leaves, branches and other items inside of them are damp. Used tires are also a place mosquitoes will breed. Just make sure to drain these and any other areas where water may be sitting," he said.
With the significant amount of rain fall in August, Witkowski explained that some areas that normally don't see water did, which is one reason the mosquitoes exploded, because it allowing for more breeding space.
"We've had a lot of calls from people wondering if we would come out and spray their yards and we don't do that. It's just the time of year and people should use all the precautions when venturing outdoors," he added.
All of these can help protect you and your family not only from the itchy bites, but from possibly contracting a disease as well.
Witkowski said even though the Eastern equine encephalitis has hit the area, people should still be on the look out for dead crows and blue jays and report them to the Health Department.
If you feel you may have an illness which contracted from a mosquito bite, it's important to call your family doctor or go to the hospital as soon as possible.
Symptoms of the Eastern equine encephalitis includes mild flu-like illness with a fever, headache and fatigue.
It generally takes anywhere from three to 10 days to develop symptoms of EEE after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
If you are concerned about the safety of your horses, there is a vaccine available not only for EEE, but West Nile as well.