University students are at a significantly lower risk of contracting the West Nile Virus this fall than they were in August 2002 because of continuing efforts to keep areas of campus clean.
At this time in August 2002 there were eight deaths and 147 confirmed human cases of West Nile in Louisiana, said Kristen Meyer, public information officer for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
There have been 34 reported human cases of West Nile in Louisiana as of Aug. 18, without any reported in East Baton Rouge Parish. There have been no deaths related to the virus as of yet, Meyer said.
The number of West Nile-related deaths in 2002 was 25, the fourth-highest of the 26 states that reported deaths.
The decrease in cases comes as a result of people being more aware and more cautious of the virus, Meyer said. The Department of Health and Hospitals has been promoting awareness through its Fight the Bite campaign. Meyer also said people who contracted the disease last year now have an immunity to West Nile, which could cause the number of cases to be lower.
As of August 2003, human cases of West Nile have been reported in 25 states, according to the national Center for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. This is down from the 44 states reported in 2002, which included Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi.
In an effort to control West Nile outbreaks, Department of Mosquito and Rodent Control workers spray the LSU campus prior to football games and Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Commission sites throughout Baton Rouge, said Randy Vaeth, a department biologist.
Areas around the stadium, as well as on the football practice field have been sprayed in past years, Vaeth said. The department uses a four-wheeler to spray chemicals on large plants around the practice field. Workers also installed five mosquito magnet traps around the football practice field to prevent potential infections, said Greg Stringfellow, Athletic Department equipment manager.
Athletes and the coaching staff also have mosquito repellent available prior to practices, according to Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette.
Landscape Services is responsible for spraying other areas of campus. Department head Fred Fellner said the department has the means to do spot spraying in specific areas around campus on an as-needed basis. Workers do not do campuswide spraying; this kind of spraying only is done on the perimeter of campus by the Department of Mosquito and Rodent Control, Fellner said.
Vaeth said the high number of people on campus during optimal spraying time, around 5 p.m., limits the amount the department can spray.
Landscape Services’ primary focus is on removing vegetation that harbors mosquitoes, cleaning storm drains and vacuuming street water where mosquitoes may breed, Fellner said. Workers spray almost every day in order to keep the campus free of mosquitoes and potential West Nile cases.
Landscape Services focuses mainly on the Student Health Center and the East and West Laville Halls, Fellner said. More requests have come from these areas than others on campus. The extra attention given to these areas is because of the thick vegetation, such as azalea bushes and thick ground bushes that grow around the buildings, Fellner said.
Residential Life has not taken any action to promote awareness about West Nile to students in dorms, said Todd Clark, Residential Life associate director. Clark said that if they were to notify residents of potential health hazards, the Student Health Center would write an article for the Residential Life newsletter or put an advisory message on the Residential Life channel 74 available in the dorms.
The Department of Mosquito and Rodent Control takes care of treating homes, businesses and recreational sites in East Baton Rouge Parish, Vaeth said.
Because employees were aware of the virus from the 2002 outbreak, the department was more prepared with surveillance and treatment this year, Vaeth said. During this year’s season the department sent people to collect and test mosquitoes and birds for the virus. They also sprayed twice a day.
During the summer months spray trucks are used almost every evening throughout the city, weather permitting, Vaeth said. Planes are used less often and are more dependent on the weather.
The department also offers individual service. Residents can call and have someone come to their homes and do a fogging application, which is spraying a specific area around the houses with mosquito-killing chemicals, Vaeth said.
The department has been called to apartment complexes south of campus, including to the Brightside area, to treat for mosquitoes as well, Vaeth said. The higher concentration of mosquitoes in the Brightside area, as well as along River Road, primarily is caused by the low-lying land and surrounding standing water, Vaeth said.
The areas with the greatest concentration of mosquitoes are in northern East Baton Rouge Parish, Vaeth said. The area outside of Zachary and around Blackwater Road continue to be persistent problem areas, Vaeth said.
Citywide spraying usually begins in March and continues through mid-October, Vaeth said. Once the temperature drops below 50 degrees in the evening, it is pointless to spray because the chemicals are not dispersed into the air and are thus not effective, Vaeth said.
During the winter months, the Department of Mosquito and Rodent Control treats individual residences during the day on an as-needed basis, Vaeth said. There have been no confirmations of mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile during the winter months, he said.
The best ways to prevent infection are to stay indoors during peak mosquito hours, from dusk to dawn, wear mosquito repellent and wear long-sleeves, pants and socks while outside when possible.