The New Mexico Department of Health warns that southern New Mexicans have a longer risk period this year of West Nile virus due to a longer El Niño-caused monsoon season predicted to continue into October. Dr. Erin Phipps, state public health veterinarian for the NMDOH, spoke with KRWG's Susan Morée.
Susan Morée :
Dr. Phipps, there is a problem, a longer mosquito season is possible. Can you talk about that and what does that mean for folks in southern New Mexico?
Dr. Erin Phipps:
Well, we have been following the news reports from the National Weather Service and meteorologists talking about the El Niño coming and the anticipated warmer and wetter than average months ahead. So they're predicting higher precipitation and higher temperatures in September and October, which could mean a longer mosquito season for southern New Mexico because mosquitoes are active until the first frost in that local area.
Susan Morée :
And some people are at greater risk for West Nile virus. Can you talk about that? Who are those folks?
Dr. Erin Phipps:
Yes, so the populations that we worry most about with West Nile infection are the elderly, but also people who take medications that affect their immune system. So this could be people who have cancer, who have had an organ transplant, or who have an autoimmune condition that they're taking medications for. And some of these have been shown to markedly increase the risk of very severe disease from infections like West Nile virus. So that is something that we want people to be aware of. If you are on a medication that affects your immune system or if you have a condition that decreases your body's ability to fight infection, it's important to talk with your doctor about how this could impact your risk of severe disease with West Nile virus.
Susan Morée :
Do you have any sense of how much of a problem this could be in the next couple of months?
Dr. Erin Phipps:
Yeah, it's hard to predict. We do see a wide variation in the number of cases of West Nile virus that we see each year because it is impacted so strongly by mosquito populations, which in turn rely on appropriate temperatures and precipitation to bolster their population.
Susan Morée :
And can you talk about what the symptoms are if someone does happen to catch West Nile from a mosquito bite and should they immediately go to the hospital or go to a doctor or can they weather out the symptoms?
Dr. Erin Phipps:
That's an excellent question. West Nile virus is a very interesting virus and, in fact, most people who contract it won't even be aware that they have. About 80% of the people who are infected with West Nile have no symptoms whatsoever. Approximately 20% have what we call West Nile fever. And so this is a relatively mild illness that is easily mistaken for any number of illnesses. The symptoms are fairly vague, a fever, body aches, a headache. And so it's difficult to pinpoint the cause, and many of those people don't seek care. However, you know, some absolutely do. They feel ill enough that they do go to their doctor and get tested. About 1% of people who are infected with West Nile virus develop very severe symptoms, and we call that neuroinvasive West Nile virus. And so this is where the virus invades the brain and nervous system. And as you can imagine, that can be very, very severe, causing confusion, seizures, coma, and even death. And those that survive can have very long-term symptoms afterwards. It can be very, very debilitating, even among those who survive it. So while that's a small percentage of people who are infected with the virus, the consequences can be so severe. It's a priority here for us to fight West Nile virus infection and mosquitoes.
Susan Morée :
And what can people do to try to avoid insect bites?
Dr. Erin Phipps:
That's an excellent question. So yes, so one thing people can do is to take a look around their property and eliminate any standing water that's on their property. So even if we don't have a lot of rainfall, if there's a field that's irrigated or a lawn that's watered, if there's standing water anywhere, then mosquitoes can breed right by someone's house. The other thing we recommend people to do is to take measures with what they wear and use to repel mosquitoes. So we recommend people use an EPA approved insect repellent. Those can be very effective at repelling mosquitoes and decreasing your risk of getting bitten. If possible, avoid being outdoors during dawn and dusk when they're most active. And then wearing clothing that has long sleeves, long pants, relatively loose fitting can also help reduce the risk of getting bitten by a mosquito.
Susan Morée :
Is there anything else, Dr. Phipps, I haven't asked you that you think I should have.
Dr. Erin Phipps:
No, I think your questions were excellent. West Nile virus is the most common mosquito transmitted disease that we see here in New Mexico. And so we do encourage everyone to be aware of the risk all the way through the first hard frost in their area.
Susan Morée :
All right. Thanks so much, Dr. Phipps. I really appreciate your taking the time.
Dr. Erin Phipps:
Thank you.
