EDGARD — St. John the Baptist Mosquito Control detected a positive case of West Nile Virus in Edgard last week.

The West Nile virus is most commonly transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. There are no medications or vaccines to prevent a West Nile Virus infection. Most people infected with West Nile Virus will have no symptoms.

About one in five people who are infected will develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash.

St. John Mosquito Control Chief Biologist Sam Stine said the area around Edgard was sprayed Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“We treated this area the same way we did the previous one,” Stine said. “We set out two types of traps to collect the mosquitoes, then we took the traps back to our lab for testing.”

Mosquito Control previously sprayed at the end of August, and according to Stine, the process showed results after Mosquito Control detected the West Nile Virus in the Main Street area of LaPlace and also in Edgard.

Stine said the number of mosquitoes in the Main Street area of LaPlace and Edgard dropped after setting traps and spraying. Once the traps were tested again, there was no trace of West Nile.

Stine said Mosquito Control personnel, with their eight trucks, would continue to spray around the parish, especially before events like the Andouille Festival.

With fall bringing rain, Stine advises community members to watch for standing water because that is where mosquitoes breed.  He also encourages people to wear bug repellent containing DEET.

Health officials said less than one percent of people infected with West Nile develop a serious, sometimes fatal, neurologic illness. The CDC advises people to use over-the-counter pain relievers to reduce fever and relieve some symptoms.

In a release sent out by the parish, officials advice wearing bug repellent on exposed skin and clothing, but not on broken skin or under clothing. For applying repellent to the face, spray onto your hands then rub the repellent avoiding your eyes.

Wearing protective clothing like long sleeved shirts and pants when outside will also reduce the chances of being bitten by mosquitoes. For mosquito service requests or concerns, contact Mosquito Control at 985-536-6530 or go online at mosquitocs.com.

— By Raquel Derganz Baker