Remember this equation:
People + Water + Birds + Mosquitoes = human West Nile infections.
I say all this because I just read a very informative article here. I also probably just had a case of West Nile virus myself, thus explaining why I read the article. And it’s the “birds” part that previously eluded me. But in fact, after recently running into a swarm of mosquitos near the above sign while hiking along the South Platte River which was running much higher than normal – and also having gotten bitten all over – I developed the tell-tale fever and aches associated with West Nile infection. But as I said, it was the “birds” part that never even occurred to me before.
If you’ve read the article, you’ll know that mosquitos – and the virus for which they are the primary vector – much prefer birds to humans as host. From the article:
The first thing to know about West Nile is that the virus would rather not infect us. Humans are dead-end hosts to the virus. It can only be passed by mosquitoes, and the likelihood of a mosquito biting a West Nile-infected human and then spreading the virus on to where it can perpetuate is extremely low. The same is true for horses, the other main victim of West Nile virus in North America. Instead, West Nile prefers birds, which is also what the Culex tarsalis mosquito, its primary vector in Colorado, most likes to feast on.
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So, there you have it. Even if you don’t frequent any “Important Bird Areas,” you’ll do well to remember this equation – especially the “birds” part.
Sorry about the mosquitoes. You’ll probably have everyone on your mailing list suggesting repellents. As I am going to do. I’ve actually tested this myself with enormous success. And others I’ve shared it with have had the same results. Get a bottle of Shaklee Basic H. Coat your exposed skin with it. If you’re wearing shorts, don’t forget to put some up your legs a ways. I’ve seen mosquitoes dive bombing me and turning away at the last moment. And, since Basic H is essentially a detergent, washing it off does not require soap. The tricky part is being able to find Basic H, and, of course, it’s not particularly inexpensive. But it does cost less than West Nile Virus. And has other uses too. Search the internet for a source if you do not already know one. Good luck.