Traditional Outdoor Activities for the 4th of July Weekend Are Cause
to Remember Precautions
This 4th of July weekend, while out enjoying the holiday, Boulder
County Public Health officials would like to remind residents that West
Nile virus (WNV) is still a very real threat, and they should take
action to protect themselves. The recent wet weather, followed by hot
temperatures has created the right conditions for mosquito breeding.
Boulder County is seeing a rise in the Culex mosquito population, which
is known to carry and transmit the virus.
Boulder County has reported no human cases, and no positive horses,
mosquito pools, or birds. Statewide, Colorado has reported the first two
human cases of the year; a 50 year-old female from Weld County and a 17
year-old male from Ft. Collins. Additionally only 1 positive bird and no
positive mosquito pools or horse cases have been reported.
Across the U.S, one human death has been reported from Missouri and two
other human cases have has been reported from Kansas and California.
California and Arizona are the most active states with numerous counties
reporting positive birds, sentinel chickens and mosquito pools.
Whether it’s a back yard barbeque or watching the fireworks, remember
to protect yourself and your family by practicing each of the 4 Ds:
- Use DEET-enhanced insect repellent or alternative.
- The DEET alternatives listed below have been shown to have the
same efficacy as a low concentration of DEET, lasting about 90
minutes. Please follow the manufacturer's instructions provided on
the product label.
- Bite Blocker (key ingredient: soybean oil).
- Picaridin, found in Cutter Advanced. This product has not
yet been approved for children under 3. Picaridin, also known as
KBR 3023, has been available for many years in Asia, Australia,
and Europe. It was recently approved for use in mosquito sprays
by the EPA and has been included in the list of repellent
recommendations by the Center for Disease Control.
- Oil of lemon eucalyptus, found in Repel Lemon Eucalyptus,
OFF! Botanicals & Fight Bite Plant-Based Insect Repellent. These
products should not be used on children under 3. Repel is 30%
eucalyptus oil. Pure eucalyptus oil should never be applied to
skin.
- DRESS in long sleeves and pants.
- Avoid the outdoors between DUSK AND DAWN.
- DRAIN standing water.
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