No need to be in denial over West Nile
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The message about protecting yourself from West Nile virus seems to
be this: Use DEET and watch for any symptoms. Somehow those
instructions never seem to satisfy.
DEET? Really? Didn’t they outlaw that? Or was that DDT? In fact,
that was DDT. DEET has been deemed safe by the Environmental
Protection Agency.
According to the EPA, as long as consumers follow label directions
and take proper precaution DEET won’t hurt them. But users do have to
take care. The EPA instructs: Avoid over-application of this product.
After returning indoors, wash treated skin with soap and water. Wash
treated clothing before wearing it again. Use of this product may
cause skin reactions in rare cases.
You can check out its website if you need some convincing:
https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/
factsheets/chemicals/deet.htm.
But chemicals sprayed all over your body or your kids’ bodies?
Hmmmm.
A more disturbing description of DEET is laid out online at
https://www.dukehealth.org/
tips/tip_20031104165954698. If you subscribe to the
the-less-chemicals-the-better point of view, there are several
natural mosquito repellents to look into. Some are listed on
https://www.sierraclubchinook.org
/Pesticides/DEETAlternatives.html.
OK, so now you’ve protected yourself. But your 5-year-old has a
fever and is achy too. What to do?
Most people infected with West Nile will never know. Sometimes
mild symptoms appear but go away on their own. It’s when the more
severe symptoms appear that it’s time to see the doctor.
“See the doctor if the fever lasts for more than four or five
days,” said Dr. Brian Lo, a doctor of internal medicine from South
Coast Medical Center. “Viral flu doesn’t last more than four or five
days.”
Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, body aches,
occasionally a skin rash on the trunk of the body, and swollen lymph
glands. A more serious case could include stupor, disorientation,
coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis.
Lo also said that if a person is acting abnormal or lethargic,
they should be brought to the hospital.
Dr. William Anderson at the Urgent Care in Laguna Beach agreed
that if a child is not acting normally, not eating or drinking
properly, that is the time to bring them in.
But it isn’t necessarily a doctor’s first priority to determine if
a patient is suffering from West Nile virus. For Anderson, the first
plan of action is to alleviate the symptoms.
If a virus, flu or West Nile is causing a high fever, headache,
neck stiffness, lack of proper nutrition, it is the symptoms that
need immediate attention, not the cause.
Fortunately, it seems that whether you know if you’ve been
infected with West Nile, you’ll likely know that you need to see the
doctor. And like the flu, there are a set of people more susceptible
to the virus -- those who have a condition that suppress the immune
system, have had recent chemotherapy or an organ transplantation,
have HIV, are pregnant, or are elderly.
The good news is, there’s no need to live in fear. Protect
yourself and trust yourself to know if you need to give that doctor
or call.
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