ST. PAUL, Minn. (CBS-KFGO) – The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District said Thursday that it found mosquitoes in Minnesota’s Anoka and Carver counties with West Nile virus.
“The mosquito-borne disease risk tends to elevate as we get late into the summer,” said the district’s Alex Carlson.
Infectious disease experts say precautions are important.
“West Nile virus has been circulating in Minnesota for over 20 years,” said Dr. Beth Thielen, an infectious disease expert with M Health Fairview and the University of Minnesota Medical School. “The most common presentation that comes to the hospital is some kind of neurological symptoms.”
Thielen says if you get West Nile virus, it’s not a death sentence.
“Most of the disease is actually not clinically apparent,” Thielen said.
She says that bug repellants with DEET and picaridin are proven to help if you’re out and about.
“We see most mosquitoes are active in that dusk time period. Folks can limit their outdoor exposure time around that time,” Thielen said.
If a bite pops up, monitor for things like fever and rash, Thielen added.
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