Dane County released a warning cautioning people against the dangers of contracting West Nile Virus (WNV), a disease which is on the rise in recent years.
A statement from Jeff Golden of Public Health Madison and Dane County said mosquitoes transmit the disease, and as temperatures progressively increase, so does the chance of becoming infected. Once contracted, the disease is not transferable from human to human.
In 1999, the disease first appeared in the United States in New York City. Golden said Dane County has experienced 23 cases of the disease since 2002 in his statement. Dane County health authorities recorded four cases of WNV in 2013.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five infected individuals will experience zero symptoms. Those who do show symptoms may experience fevers, headaches, muscle and joint pain rashes and fatigue. The CDC states 1 percent of people experience severe neurological diseases such as meningitis and encephalitis after infection.
According to Golden, there are many common methods to prevent contracting the disease from infected mosquitoes. Regular cleaning of eve spouts, birdbaths and outdoor swimming pools diminishes mosquito breeding. Wearing insect repellent and limiting time spent outside at dawn and dusk also lessens probability of contraction.
Mosquitoes receive the disease from infected birds, so the sighting of dead crows or blue jays should be reported to the Dead Bird Hotline at 1-800-433-1610 to help prevent further expansion of WNV.
