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New strain of the West Nile Virus
7/18/2008
The U. S. Centers for Disease Control is warning that a new strain of the West Nile Virus is spreading. The new strain, first detected in 2002, reproduces in the bodies of mosquitoes at a faster rate in the warmer, summer months.

The virus infected an estimated one-hundred-seventy-five thousand people in 2007, killing one-hundred-seventeen.

Health experts urge people to protect themselves from mosquitoes by:

* Wear long sleeved shirts and long pants

* Use bug spray, especially at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active. Look for ones that contain EPA-recommended ingredients such as DEET, picardin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR-3535

* Dump out any standing water that might have collected in flowerpots, buckets, or barrels. Also, clean out your pet's water dish daily and bird baths weekly

* Make sure the windows and doors where you live or work are either closed or have screens on them