KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Here’s another disease to worry about.
For the first time, Kalamazoo County health officials have detected a new virus that could claim lives.
Kalamazoo County Administrator Kevin Catlin says Jamestown Canyon virus has been detected in a pool of mosquitoes in the county. It can cause flu like symptoms in some, and can cause severe neurological problems in a few, and even lead to death. The elderly and those with weak immune systems are most vulnerable.
There is no vaccine and no current treatments, so Catlin says the only way to prevent it is to avoid mosquitoes.
“HCS encourages residents to use repellents, wear protective clothing, eliminate standing water, and use window screens to prevent bites.”
Mosquitoes are most active around dawn and dusk.
JCV was first identified in 1961 in mosquitoes in Jamestown Canyon, Colorado, and has since spread all across the upper Midwest.
It’s not contagious from human to human and can only be caught from bug bites.
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