Prevention for the West Nile virus will be assessed sooner next spring than this year, according to county health officials.
Michigan reported the second-highest number of human cases of West Nile virus this year, with 463 infections and 36 deaths. Ingham County tied with for the fifth on the list for Michigan counties, reporting eight possible human cases of the virus.
Last year, Ingham County officials reported the first case of West Nile virus in the middle of June, but next year, officials say, information for residents will be released starting in May.
“We will focus our efforts where we are most vulnerable,” said Bob Godbold, Ingham County’s environmental health director.
Although some people think the mosquito-borne virus will die out with the start of winter, Ned Walker, a microbiology and entomology associate professor at MSU, said the virus will be hibernating within infected mosquitoes.
The biting stage of mosquitoes ceases with cooler weather, but if temperatures peak above 55 degrees, the virus could reactivate and begin attacking, Walker said.
“It’s invaded and now it’s establishing,” Walker said.
Godbold said the county has teamed up with representatives from Barry, Eaton and Ionia counties and the Mid-Michigan District Health Department to evaluate the threat of the virus and discuss preventative measures for next spring.
But the group will not create new ways to kill mosquitoes, Godbold said.
“Mosquitoes are too abundant,” he said. “We won’t be able to eliminate the mosquitoes.”
Godbold said public education will focus on prevention and how to detect early signs of the virus. He said the elderly and children under two years of age will be targeted specifically because of their increased risk of infection.
“We won’t ignore the rest of population,” he said.
Walker said Michigan was hit hard by the virus because of the dry weather throughout the summer and fall. He also said the presence of crows killed by West Nile virus in the spring could be a good indication that the virus is present.
“Conditions were ecologically perfect,” Walker said. “What we can predict right now, it’s hard to say.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
