Any One Else Freaked Out About West Nile????

Nope.
No freaking out here.
It's been around in the US for at least 10 years, so it's nothing new.
Most people get it and don't even know they have it.
Some others get it and it exhibits flu like symptoms.
We wear Off when we are going to be outside for awhile, but that doesn't always keep the mosquitoes from biting you.

I don't like the smell of bug spray....no I am not worried.

We have bats and a mosquito trap, good enough.

I also live in North Texas, Plano area. I'm aware of everything but I'm not scared. Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for everyone that has it, but media overplays a lot of it. As on July 31, there were 109 cases in the whole area; Dallas county alone has a population of 2,416,014, do you know the percentage on just that, you then you have to throw in all the other counties. Just because I say stop worrying, doesn't mean you will. But fear will rob you of so much, don't live in fear. But aware, take precautions, but the chances are slim.

Feed garlic to your family and you won't have to worry about bugs biting them. I don't freak out about stuff like this, it's not worth it.

Look at it realistically. How many people live in your area and how many REPORTED cases do they have? Statically you are safe.

We dealt with West Nile Virus around here a number of years ago. A lot of the birds got it - but I didn't know one person who did. As long as you empty standing water and don't provide places for misquitos to nest you'll be fine. Don't make yourself crazy. I got the usual number of misquito bites those Summers and never had so much as a low grade faver.

Just solve the problem with the mosquitos and don't worry about them carrying the virus.

How do you solve the mosquito problem? I bought a 2/3 acre bug wacker. Hang it up in the back of your yard toward the source of your mosquitos about head high. Go to the butcher shop and buy some beef* liver and ask the butcher for some extra blood. (Yes, he will look at you like you are crazy.) Take the beef liver and the blood and attach the open container to the bottom of the bug wacker. Then plug the bug wacker in. The next morning unplug the bug wacker and remove the dead mosquitos. I did this and removed about 2 cups of mosquitos each day for about two weeks. I couldn't even see the light in the morning when I went to remove the mosquitos. After about three weeks I could see some of the bug wacker light in the morning. By the end of 4 weeks I could go outside in just my swimming trunks and not be bothered by mosquitos. Before we set up the bug wacker we were never able to have an evening BBQ or swim party with no problem from pesty mosquitos. Afterward. No mosquitos. No problem.

* Beef liver works better than pork or chicken. I don't know why.

Good luck to you and yours.

No. I am not freaked out about it. Do I take precautions? yes.

We use Avon's Skin So Soft and regular bug spray.

Even in the heat - i have my kids wear long sleeve shirts and pants...and yes - I DO squirt them down with a hose for fun!!

Stop living your life in fear. Be pro-active and do what you can - but let your kids outside....

Nope. And I live in North Tarrant Co. It does seem a little rampant right now. Something like 41 cases in Denton County and 72 in Tarrant. My friend's dad is currently hospitalized for it. But when you consider the population in those counties, it's not that many cases. And my understanding is that it affects mostly people over the age of 50 or those with underlying health problem.Less than 1% of those infected with West Nile virus will develop severe illness. Use spray with DEET. Get rid of any standing water (how is it possible to have THAT is these temps???). Long sleeves and pants are an option, but it's supposed to be 102 at 7 tonight, so I don't know how realistic that is for us. And stop watching the evening news...their hype is freaking you out!

I live in Plano/Allen just a hop from downtown Dallas and no I do not worry about this.

I am not one to live in fear and worry about the what if's because I just can't function that way. We take precautions, are not overboard with anything and go on with our lives.

Keep in mind, although it is a growing problem, the news media wants viewers so they do everything they can to get more viewers, including blowing something like this out of porportion.

Garlic! I mean you know how they say there's a little truth in every myth or fairy tale? Well, how do you think they got the idea to use garlic to ward off vampires? Because it works on other bloodsuckers as well. A diet with garlic in it changes the way you smell and taste. Works for us. (Native of Gilroy, raised on garlic)

We just do bug spray and try not to worry too much about it. I can't imagine not enjoying the outdoors in the evening. We would all be miserable! Fortunately our mosquito population has been down last year and this year.

I'm concerned, but not scared. I live in CT, so we have enough mosquitoes to fill the Grand Canyon just in my back yard. We have woods behind our yard and all around the street. I live less than a mile from a major river. Wherever you go, there are mosquitoes.

If I have insect repellent, I spray it on the girls' clothing. I don't like getting those particular chemicals on their skin especially since two of my daughters have neurological disorders to begin with (especially my middle daughter). I avoid the DEET repellents at all costs. Those tend to be the ones that are West Nile specific.

When we're out at my sister-in-law's, we sit by their fire pit and the bugs dive bomb into it. When we're at my best friend's house, we have the mosquito coils you'd light if you were camping. My parents are fond of citronella candles and the electric fly swatters.

Bug spray? Believe it or not, I dont worry too much about this. We had a West Nile outbreak in our area awhile back, the people that died from it were people with low immune system, like the elderly.
I heard of several people who had it, and got over it fine.

What about those personal clip-on "fans" by Off? I've never used them, personally, but I know people who swear by them.

I actually have an aunt that got West Nile. 4 years later, and she has still had sickness after sickness. It destroyed her immune system. She was perfectly healthy before she got it, and she is just a shell of herself after. It's so sad.

Yes, I am VERY diligent about my son. Mosquitoes love him, even through B. spray, clip-ons, bracelets, candles, frogs, mosquito traps, and clothing. We don't actually play outside after 3:00 during high mosquito season. He does go outside, but before then. (We do go places after 3:00, but nothing that involves outdoor play.) We wake up super early and go to the park for a long time, or we go to the pool down the block during the day. We are always in by 3:00, though. I have just not found a way to keep the mosquitoes off him.

Concerned yes, but it's not on the top of my "freaked out, paranoid list"

I would get some of those Off clips that you can use. You dont have to clip them onto anything you can set a few on some tables around the area you want to sit or play in.

Strong bug spray is a must.

But did you know that your natural smell, or "stink" is a natural repellent? And that strong perfumes and what not will attract the mosquito?

I second the garlic suggestion!

I used to camp for weeks in the summer... We would spend the day on horseback, in the woods, near a lake... which is a magnet for mosquitoes. We ALWAYS ate garlic dip when we were camping, and never had more than one or two bites... The one week we DIDN'T have garlic dip, we came home absolutely COVERED in bites.

You can even take garlic capsules if you want... It's incredibly healthy anyway, so it's a win-win. :)

No, and I live in south Louisiana, where we have mosquitoes big enough to carry off small children.

I don't use bug sprays - the idea of putting DEET on my skin scares me more than the thought of getting bitten.
West Nile isn't common enough for me to panic about it.

A lady I sit for is freaked out about it. And I thought it is blown up UNTIL my friends daughter was diagnosed with it on Saturday. She is in Wills Point outside of Rockwall. Very scary. They can only do pain management she is 6

Hard not to worry when they are rigning the alarm in this area! Besides spray, carry dryer sheets in your pockets

YESSS! Actually, I got very sick last month and almost thought I had it!!! Had low grade fever, aches, chills, sweating....although my hubby had the bug first with congestion and coughing, then I got it. I had my front and back yard specially treated for mosquitoes but something is STILL biting me despite wearing repellant spray!

They say don't leave standing water.......I have a pool, am I supposed to drain it? LOL!

It's easy to be paranoid with the media coverage that West Nile gets, but it tends to be sensationalized. :) Once you know the facts about WNV, you will see that there isn't anything to worry about.

I am going to give you some information, to put your mind at ease.

~80% of people that become infected with WNV are asymptomatic. The majority of the remaining ~20% will get flu-like symptoms and then clear the virus. 1 out of 150 infected will get more severe symptoms, including neurological symptoms, but they tend to be immunocompromised. I know we have had deaths in the area, but the third patient that died was a transplant recipient. She definitely had a compromised immune system. This is why the severe forms are seen more often in elderly patients. If your children are over the age of 2 and healthy, then they would be most likely asymptomatic, even if they contracted the virus. They could have already had it, even.

Just FYI. Don't let WNV keep you from enjoying the outside. If you would like more information, please let me know. I hope this helps.

It's ok. My husband made fun of me for being afraid of tornados.... I noticed a lot of the "fugedaboutit" answers are not from the Metroplex. We do have a lot of cases here, more than usual. My niece has it right now, she's 38 and healthy. Besides, it's your job to protect your kids. I don't even go water my yard until midnight.

I actually wish we had enough rain to have them around. Missed another storm last night! uhg. Anyways I use off and mosquito candles and have a fire pit. They usually leave us alone