The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has detected cases of the West Nile Virus in surrounding parishes, according to St. John officials, with one death being reported.

The virus has not been detected in St. John the Baptist Parish, but August and September are peak times for mosquitoes, and residents are encouraged to take additional precautions.

St. John Mosquito Control is performing additional spraying in canals and ditches where breeding occurs.

Residents can view cases of West Nile in the weekly West Nile virus Surveillance report by clicking new.dhh.louisiana.gov/assets/ARBO_1437.pdf.

DHH has tracked the West Nile Virus for more than a decade, and statistics about its occurrence in Louisiana can be found online at dhh.louisiana.gov/fightthebite.

Safety tips include:

For People

• If outside, wear a mosquito repellent containing DEET. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend use of repellents with more than 30 percent DEET for children. Insect repellents are not recommended for children younger than 2 months of age. CDC recommends following the recommendations appearing on the product label when using repellent.

• Apply repellent on exposed skin and clothing — do not apply under clothes or on broken skin.

• To apply repellent to face, spray on hands and rub on face, avoiding eyes

Adults should always apply repellent to children.

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants when outdoors for long periods of time.

• Avoid perfumes and colognes when outdoors for extended periods of time.

Protecting Your Home

• Make sure all windows and doors are tight-fitting and screens are free of holes.

• Eliminate standing water where mosquitoes breed.

• Dispose of tin cans, ceramic pots and other unnecessary containers.

• Turn over wheelbarrows, plastic wading pools, buckets, trash cans, children’s toys or anything that could collect water.

• Drill holes in the bottom of outdoor recycling containers.

• Check and clean roof gutters routinely, as they can produce millions of mosquitoes each season.

• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish; water gardens can become major mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate.

• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools that are not being used.