Say Hello To West Nile

The State Health folks are  reporting that we are already seeing some mosquitoes in a carrying the West Nile virus- "already" meaning a little earlier than we typically have the virus pay a visit to the state.

The usual is August into September, and though the infected mosquitoes have been found in only a few counties, this may signal an early season throughout the state.

So what is West Nile, and should you be concerned? Here are some facts.

Even if you are bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus, odds are you will not become infected or become sick. In other words, you'll never even know it happened.

If by chance you do get sick, odds are your illness will be mild and generic- meaning aches, chills, sore throat, some stomach issues, and low grade headache that will run its course over 3-6 days.

Now if for some reason you're immune system isn't up to snuff, or you are very old, very young, or have some chronic disease- you can get a lot sicker. High fever, severe headache, confusion, seizures, and a litany of nasty things.

That means you want to play it safe, and not even take the chance you'll make a tempting target for a hungry mosquito.

Here's a nice website filled with info from the State on signs, symptoms, and prevention: http://www.fightthebitecolorado.com/

Good luck to us, and unhappy hunting to our neighborhood mosquitoes.