Louisiana mosquito season is here. How to protect yourself, your home
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — It’s that time of the year to start protecting your skin from pesky mosquitoes.
The Louisiana Department of Health is encouraging residents to take action to protect themselves against mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile virus and dengue virus.
Health officials said there were 65 West Nile cases in the state last year with 46 cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease and four deaths. Fourteen cases, the highest number since 2013, were reported in the Acadiana region in 2023.
West Nile virus symptoms are described as flu-like with fever, headache, body aches, nausea and/or rashes.
Dengue is another mosquito-borne illness. Officials said the virus can be mild or severe.
“While no locally acquired cases of dengue have been reported in Louisiana in recent history, the mosquito species which transmits the virus is present in the state, and locally acquired cases have been reported in Texas and Florida,” LDH said in a news release.
People who are traveling are urged by officials to take extra precautions.
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How to protect yourself and your home from mosquitoes
State health officials said people can take precautions by wearing EPA-registered mosquito repellant on exposed skin and clothing. If you’re on the go, it is suggested to take a travel-sized bottle of repellant.
Another tip from officials is to put sunscreen on first then apply bug repellant.
Outdoors, people can keep mosquito populations down by removing standing water anywhere it could be collected like wheelbarrows, plastic wading pools, buckets, trash cans and children’s toys. Officials suggest throwing away or storing any unnecessary containers outside.
Roof gutters should be checked and cleaned routinely, according to LDH’s tips.
If your property has a swimming pool that is not being used, officials said it should still be cleaned and chlorinated.
Click here for more information from the CDC.
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