Staying safe as West Nile virus spreads

Cases of West Nile virus are on the rise in the region right now.

While most people who contract the mosquito-borne illness don’t show any symptoms, it can be devastating — or even deadly — for some individuals.

So where is the disease spreading fastest, and what can you do to protect yourself? Elizabeth Schiffman, supervisor of the Minnesota Department of Health's vectorborne diseases unit, joined MPR News guest host Phil Picardi on Morning Edition with answers.

The following has been lightly edited for clarity. Listen to the conversation by clicking the player button above.

Can you give us a brief primer on what West Nile virus is, how it spreads and its symptoms?

West Nile virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, and for most people, it doesn't cause any symptoms; they might have a fever or some aches for a couple of days, but usually not sick enough to end up going to the doctor. But then there is a really small proportion of people that do end up getting really sick, so that fever and aches, headaches, that kind of thing, maybe progress to something more severe, like meningitis or encephalitis, and that's particularly dangerous if you're an older person or if you have a compromised immune system.

How do you know you should get checked for West Nile, as opposed to thinking you’ve got the flu?

Sure, that's a question we get a lot. We don't expect you to have something like the flu or a cold, or some of those more winter respiratory viruses in August. So if you're having fever, aches, that kind of thing, and it is August, especially if you've been spending time outside in the evenings, maybe, when the air quality temps have been better, those are times of day when you can be particularly at risk for those mosquitoes biting you.

So I would say, if it's this time of year and you're having those kind of symptoms, it's not a bad idea to reach out to your health care provider.

How is it treated?

Since it's a virus, unfortunately, there isn't really any specific treatment. So it's not like you can go and they'll give you a prescription for something, or a shot, and you'll feel better. It's supportive care, treating those symptoms until the virus runs its course.

Case numbers of West Nile in North Dakota are concerning. Fresh data arrive Tuesday from the CDC. What are you expecting to see here in Minnesota and across our region?

Our numbers will also climb. So we're going to have, as of today, 15 cases reported here in Minnesota, and unfortunately, two deaths. So it is a season where we're seeing a lot of activity, and I would expect that numbers in some of our neighboring states, especially the Dakotas, will also probably climb today as more cases get reported.

So how do people protect themselves? What if you can't stay indoors?

So you don't have to stay inside all the time, especially, you know, in these waning days of summer. The State Fair is coming up, and we want people to get outside. But if you are out, especially in the early morning or the later evening hours, that's when these mosquitoes can be particularly active. So wearing a nice bug repellent is, is a really good way to keep yourself safe. So generally, anything that has an EPA registration number is a good bet, and that will help keep the bugs from biting you.

As viruses like West Nile spread further, do recent federal funding cuts concern you and your MDH department?

It does, frankly. It takes money and resources to follow up on cases, to get all the information we need. So it does impact our ability to be able to follow up, especially to do things in a timely manner. Right now, we're hanging in there. We want to do the best we can, but yeah, if things continue on a downward trend, in future years, it might be a little harder for us to have up-to-the-minute data.

Listen to the conversation by clicking the player button at the beginning of the article.