While the capital’s city hall is stepping up disinsection actions in an attempt to eliminate mosquito populations, the West Nile virus could soon become a serious threat. This is what the epidemiologists say, who also raise a big alarm: “The measures that are being taken now come late and have limited results”.
Doctors warn that the number of illnesses could increase. Photo source: archive
“The authorities did not do their job”
Why do we experience such cases of West Nile disease almost every summer? Because the authorities do not take timely measures to eliminate mosquitoes, is the opinion of Dr. Emilian Popovici, the vice-president of the Romanian Society of Epidemiology. “In our country, mosquitoes are, unfortunately, present everywhere. Abroad, in Germany, for example, these insects are extremely few to none. The reason? The authorities there are taking measures to prevent their spread throughout the warm season. Permanent and correct disinsection measures are taken there. That’s why they don’t face the risk of West Nile and any other virus transmitted by these insects. It’s a different story here. We take measures only after the first cases of disease appear, only after the mosquito populations are present and very present. Obviously, the result of these disinsection measures is now a limited one”, consider the specialist. And the risk is all the greater since we are not only talking about a certain species of mosquito, but about ordinary, common insects, present everywhere in our country. “The tiger mosquito would be the culprit, but all mosquito species can be carriers. It’s blasphemy”.
The doctor also refers to another aspect: insects migrate and arrive from different areas of the globe to others. And many of them come to us already “accompanied”. “Mosquitoes, when they come, come ‘accompanied’.” They come with the pathologies characteristic of the areas they come from”.
How the disease manifests itself: a relatively mild symptomatology
Dr. Emilian Popovici warns that mosquitoes can be carriers of other viruses, not only West Nile. “Most cases of West Nile develop with a limited infection as symptoms and self-limited as extension in time. But, of course, there can also be cases with a serious evolution, and then the person in question must go to the doctor”, the doctor recommends. This is also the case of the man from Bucharest who is hospitalized at the “Victor Babeș” Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Bucharest and who is in a good condition, say the doctors who have him under supervision.
Dr. Simin Florescu, manager of the clinical hospital “Dr. Victor Babeș” specified that “usually there are mild signs like fever, headache, possibly dizziness or muscle pain, passing out and that’s it. In very few cases, they get encephalitis and meningitis when they get to the hospital.”
How to avoid mosquitoes
First of all, says Dr. Emilian Popovici, the authorities should do their duty on time. “At least from next year they should try to disinfect before we wake up invaded by mosquitoes. So that we almost never face situations like that. And as for the population, we should protect ourselves from mosquitoes through various methods that we all already know. Let’s put nets on our windows if we don’t have any, use repellent products, avoid areas with vegetation, lakes, puddles, wear long pants and long-sleeved clothes,” recommends the doctor. “We have at our disposal enough means to combat mosquitoes both indoors and outdoors. We just have to want to do it”.
However, Dr. Emilian Popovici stated that the risk of getting sick from a single mosquito bite is quite small. “The probability that a person will get sick from a single mosquito bite is low. On the other hand, the risk of severe illness and death increases with the person’s age and pre-existing conditions. The risk is greatest for people over 50 or immunocompromised, although infection can occur at any age. So people at high risk should take all protective measures and avoid places with a high population of mosquitoes where repeated bites can occur”
At the end of last week, the mayor of the capital, Nicușor Dan, announced that the authorities have started to intervene with additional treatments to combat adult mosquitoes, to reduce the danger of infection with the West Nile virus. This after mosquitoes carrying the virus were discovered in four sectors of Bucharest.
6 recommendations from the INSP
High temperatures and heat waves that follow heavy rains favor the occurrence of certain diseases, including West Nile neuroinfection, an infectious disease that is transmitted through mosquito bites, states the National Institute of Public Health.
The National Institute of Public Health makes the following recommendations to protect against West Nile virus infection:
- Avoid exposure to mosquitoes by wearing long-sleeved clothing and long pants;
- Use mosquito repellent chemicals;
- Use insecticides in/around the home;
- Prevent mosquitoes from entering the house (protective nets on the windows);
- Ensure the drainage of water puddles around the household;
- Remove containers of standing water and household waste.
In 1996, Romania faced the most severe West Nile meningitis epidemic in Europe. Officially, over 300 cases were registered then.
