COLORADO SPRINGS — With the record amount of rain we have been seeing in Colorado over the past month, comes a pest that you want to watch out for this summer.
News5 spoke with Bernadette Albanese, the medical director at El Paso County Public Health. She said the amount of rain we have seen this year has created the perfect storm for mosquitoes to breed because these pests love standing bodies of water.
While mosquitoes can leave an awful bite mark, there are serious diseases that these bugs can carry; the most concerning is the West Nile virus.
While some who catch West Nile will never develop symptoms, one in five people will develop severe symptoms like a fever and body aches, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"The most severe form of West Nile virus disease is [an] infection of the brain or [an] infection of the tissues surrounding the brain. And that is a very severe illness. You'll also have fevers and headache, but you can have seizures, numbness, paralysis," said Albanese.
Here are some of the best things you can do to protect your skin:
- Use insect-repellent
- Products containing DEET
- Wear lightweight long-sleeve clothing
- Look around your home for standing bodies of water
- birdbath, or a baby pool.
If that water stays stagnate, mosquitoes can breed in it. It is best to empty those bodies of water.____
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