Dangerous, Rare Virus Is Detected In New York State

There is an alert that has been posted for portions of New York State as a rare, and dangerous, virus has been detected in mosquitos that have been tested by health officials.

The summer has been hot and humid and has presented the right type of conditions for bugs and mosquitoes to boom in population. Not only are these annoying bugs a bummer to have at the backyard party, they are also potentially carrying two types of viruses.

Officials in Onondaga County are warning residents that both West Nile and EEEV have been found.

What is EEEV? According to the Center For Disease Control (CDC) Eastern equine encephalitis is rare but serious and there are currently no vaccines to stop it.

"Although rare, eastern equine encephalitis is very serious. Approximately 30% of people with eastern equine encephalitis die, and many survivors have ongoing neurologic problems. Symptoms of eastern equine encephalitis can include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes, and drowsiness".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13xdQl2URCg

Before the kids go back to school, there are dozens of outdoor parties, camping and events planned. Make sure you do what you can to protect your family from mosquito bites and try to remove standing water from the yard. You might be surprised to see how many places rain water can collect and make a pool for mosquitoes to breed in. Old tires, buckets, and even overturned garbage can lids can be the perfect spot for water to collect and become stagnant.