How To Avoid The Threat Of West Nile Virus In Grand Junction

In case you thought that West Nile Virus was a thing of the past, I have a nice little wake up call for you. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment stated that 13 people have been diagnosed with West Nile Virus, and 1 has died from West Nile Virus, this year. Let that sink in for a second. Last year, 101 people contracted West Nile Virus, and three died from it. West Nile is very much a threat to Western Colorado. If you live in Grand Junction, you need to be taking precautions to prevent your family from contracting the Virus.

I have West Nile, several years ago, when it first was brought to the forefront of the valley. It was awful, in fact it was possibly the worst 4 weeks of my life. My muscles were so tense I could hardly move, I would break into intense sweats so bad that my clothes and bed would be soaked. I felt constantly dehydrated.

Here are some tips and tricks from the CDC, to help prevent your family from contracting West Nile Virus this year.

• Make sure any insect repellents you use have an EPA-registered active ingredient.
• Wear long sleeve shirts and long pants at sunrise and sunset, because mosquitos are most active at those times. You can also just stay inside during those times.
• Make sure all of your screen doors and windows are in place, functional, and make sure you actually use them.
• Search out any standing water on your property and get rid of it. Mosquitos will breed in those conditions.
• Make sure any wading pools your children have are always drained when not in use.
• Drill draining holes in tire swings on your property to keep water from building up.

Just remember, you absolutely do not want anyone in your family to have to deal with this horrible virus. It can be extremely deadly to children and senior citizens, and very debilitating and miserable for everyone else.