Mosquitoes carrying West Nile fever have been identified for the first time in Israel this summer.
The Department of the Environment on Wednesday outlined the steps the public needs to take to prevent them from being bitten, and warned in particular coronavirus sufferers to take care.
There is no vaccine against the disease.
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Tests conducted by the ministry found infected insects in and around the Kishon Stream in the Mount Gilboa area in northern Israel and in the communities of Yotvata, Ketura, Eliphaz and Grofit in the Arava Desert in the south.
Local authorities in all those areas have been instructed to increase oversight and undertake pest control as necessary.
The Kishon River flows through Kishon Park near Haifa, northern Israel. (Hanay, Wikimedia commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
West Nile Fever is a zoonotic disease, which means it originates in animals and is transmitted to humans. It is caused by a virus found mainly in birds, and is spread to humans through mouse bites.
Research by prof. Shlomit Paz, head of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Haifa, suggests that climate change helps to provide the conditions for the prevention of West Nile fever.
In most cases, bites cause a mild, flu-like illness that goes away on its own. Symptoms include fever, headache, weakness, joint and muscle pain, conjunctivitis, rash and sometimes nausea and diarrhea.
But in 2018, three Israelis died of the disease
Last year, according to health ministry figures, 32 human cases of West Nile fever were reported at 27 locations, infected animals at four locations and infected mosquitoes at 34 locations across the country.
“During this period of coronavirus outbreak, patients living in areas where infected mosquitoes have been found should be especially wary of the possibility of West Nile fever disease,” the Ministry of the Environment said in a statement. “Because there is no vaccine for humans, preventing mosquito bites is the most important way to break the cycle of transmitting the disease to humans.”
A mouse net over a bed. (Tjeerd Wiersma from Amsterdam, Netherlands – Flickr / Wikimedia commons / CC BY 2.0)
The ministry has drawn up a list of steps the public needs to take to reduce exposure to West Nile fever.
The first is to remove stagnant water sources where mosquitoes like to breed by checking on old tires, buckets, barrels, dishes under flower pots and planters, and any discarded containers; swimming pool coverage; make sure there are fish in ornamental plants (to eat mug larvae); and clean up cleaning.
The second is to increase protection by using insect repellents, wearing long, light clothing, using fans in the house, and making sure all windows and openings are covered with mosquitoes.
Sources of stagnant water or mosquito infections should be reported to the local authority.
More information is available here.
