THE DISEASE:

OF THOSE INFECTED

RENEE' HANNANS HENRY/AJC (ENLARGE)

Lindsay Charles of the Fulton County Health Department puts larva-killing briquettes in the drainage system of the Bowen Homes area.

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• 1 in 150 suffer severe illness or death. The virus can cause meningitis or encephalitis. Other severe symptoms include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, muscle weakness and paralysis.

• Up to 1 in 5 have a less severe illness, called West Nile Fever. Symptoms, lasting days or weeks, include fever, headache and body aches, nausea and sometimes a rash.

• About 4 out of 5 show no symptoms.

THE CULPRIT:

SOUTHERN HOUSE MOSQUITO (Culex quinquefasciatus)

• Main spreader of West Nile virus in Georgia.

• Likes to breed in storm drains and containers.

• Feeds on birds, which can carry the virus; humans and other mammals.

WHO'S AT RISK?

• People older than age 50 or those with compromised immune systems are more likely to develop severe disease.

• Anybody who spends time outside. Summer is prime time for infections.

PREVENTING INFECTION

• Use insect repellent containing DEET, Picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or a synthetic form called PMD, and IR3535.

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.

• Eliminate stagnant water where mosquitoes lay eggs. Look for standing water in gutters, flower pots and saucers, buckets. Regularly dump bird baths and fountains. Make sure rain barrels are screened.

• Use a mosquito dunk containing larvicide where standing water can't be eliminated.

• Report properties with stagnant water to your county health department.

Sources: CDC, Georgia Division of Public Health, AJC research