By Erin Delmore
Correspondent
A 60-year-old man from Camden County and a 29-year-old woman from Burlington County are the first two New Jerseyans to contract West Nile virus this season.
“We want to make sure that we do not continue to allow this to spread and to put other individuals at risk,” said Carmen Rodriguez, Camden County freeholder and liaison to the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services.
Mosquitoes pick up the virus by feeding on infected birds. Then, they can transfer it to humans with a simple bite.
“The most important precaution that you can take is to avoid getting bit by a mosquito. That’s really hard to do right now. So we definitely recommend that you use some type of mosquito repellant and that you take very active measures in preventing mosquitoes from invading your area,” Rodriguez said.
Traces of the virus have been found in mosquitoes or birds in 19 counties, according to the state Health Department. People over 50 are at a higher risk of becoming infected and developing symptoms, which are similar to the flu.
Camden County Freeholder Jeffrey Nash is the liaison to the County Mosquito Commission.
“There are little pockets of water that you may find in your front or back yards, perhaps part of your pool assembly, or an abandoned tire, or a potted plant. If you can avoid having those little pockets of water, that’s where the mosquito larvae come from, and that’s where you’ll get most of your mosquito activity,” Nash said.
That’s the plan of action at the County Boathouse.
“I’m on the river every day and I haven’t gotten bit,” said Camden County Boathouse Manager Jamie Stack. “We just make sure that our boats that are sitting on the shore are propped up so water can flow after any rain. Any tarps or anything we have down, we just dry off every once in a while, and we keep an angle anywhere so that the water can flow out and never just sit.”
Not every mosquito is a carrier for West Nile. In fact, the disease is pretty rare.
Last year, New Jersey had eight cases of West Nile virus, according to the CDC, and since 1999, the state’s seen just over 200 cases.
“If I heard a couple more stories or probably made bigger headlines, then I’d probably start paying attention a little bit more. But maybe one case here or there, I don’t feel like there’s nothing to get too scared about, but it is a concern,” said Camden resident Timothy Purnell.
“Mosquitoes are annoying enough where you try to stay away from them whether there’s a disease going around or not,” said James Dahlgren who works in Camden.
County officials say their response is aggressive throughout the year, including introducing fish that eat mosquito larvae to area ponds and rivers.
“We have a regular spraying schedule that you can find online at camdencounty.com and we ask people to find out when their streets are going to be sprayed. If you have any questions, you could always call the county for that purpose,” Nash said.
Besides protecting yourself from the risk of infection, you can avoid a little discomfort, too