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mbwwmj3-ijci- pfff economist sunsuntribune health satanfe may 102003 home remedies no panacea for west nile virus by lisa queen staff writer ont eat bananas from now tillthe show flies rumour has it giving up the fruit will ward off the dreaded west nile virus seems theres something in banana oil that attracts those pesky i mosquitoeswhich are responsible for spreading the diseaseto humans after feasting on infected birds or heres another idea wipe yourself from head to toe with a bounce fabric softener sheet apparently the sheets are the best thing ever used m louisiana pre sumably the bayou makes that a relevant point to keep mosquitoes away from babies looking for more home reme dies to avoid the virus emails making the rounds are full of helpful hints v how about planting marigolds around your yard smothering yourself in vicksvappnib swallpw- ing a vitamin bl pill daily slather- ing a concoction of avon skin-so- soft and alcohol on your body or using vaniua although it must be the real kind sold in mexico when all else fails get a frog w- the emails say these are sure fire protection against west nile virus i f and who could doubt them j after all theyre endorsed by bob a fisher who hasnt had a mosquito bite in 33 years thanks to daily vitamin bl pills from april to october and tough gu viriarines who prefer the skin-so- soft and alcohol mix too bad theres ho proof the remedies work warn yorkregiori health experts f what is really fact and what isnt sometimes gets blurred said margaiiet mccaffrey a health pro tectioh manager with the regions public health department i understand where peoples search for remedies is coming i from maybe somebody didnt eat bananas and they werent bitten by a mosquito but that could be for another reason the important thing is that people take the proper precautions ms mccaffrey appreciates peo ples anxiety about the relatively new virus which was intrdduced to york less than two years ago a dead crow found in newmarket at the end of last month canadas first bird this year with west nile virus has only heightened peoples fears what that could indicate is its endemic we can no longer say its something coming in with migrat- ingbirds its here and its here all year long ms mccaffrey said yes it is here and there are things people can do to personally protect themselves although information about the virus is being updated constantly as more is learned about the dis- ease provincial and regional health experts say residents should be aware of the following symptoms of the disease include fever muscle weakness stiff neck confusion severe headache sudden sensitivity to lightand extreme swelling or infec tion at the site of the mosquito bite while most people infected with the virus exhibit no symptoms or suffer a mild reaction there is i growing evidence the potentially fatal disease can cause longterm neurological effects in some vic tims the disease is spread by mos quitoes which pick upthe virus by feeding on an infected bird the virus cannot be spread from per son to person it can be spread through blood transfusions or through organ or tissue donation people who feel unwell should not donate blood v because mosquitoes breed in water residents must ensure standing water is eliminated from mefr properties that includes water that has gathered on swim ming pool covers in eavestroughs or in tires although many people believe mosquitoes breed in rural areas in fact urban residents need to be more cautious because the insects have more opportunity to spread the disease due to increased human contact although residents were encouraged in the past to report a list of several species of birds crows are the only birdscurrently of concern in the battle against the virus for unknown reasons crows are more susceptible to the virus and are more likely to die from it 1 prolonging the cycle of the disease to avoid contracting the dis ease people are urged to wear long pants and longsleeved shirts at dawn and dusk and to use insect repellent with no more than 30 per cent deet for adults and 10 per cent for children over the age of six months york had six confirmed human cases of the virus last year all of whom recovered the region had 53 hot spots where positive dead birds ormbs- quito swarms were discovered in 2001 and 2002 although there could have been more that werent tested york will be starting its pro gram to poison mosquito larvae in their breeding grounds in upcom- ingweeks the region is hosting informa tion sessions aboutthe virus newmarkets was held thursday other dates include monday in markham tuesday in east gwillimbury wednesday in king township friday in richmond hill may 20 in wliitchurch- stouffville may 21 invaughan may 22 in aurora and june loin georgina to report a dead crow or obtain more information about the virus or information sessions call health connection at 1-800-361- 5653 or visit the provinces website atwwwhealthgovonca although health experts are pro moting public education vaughan resident biagip nasuto complained its not just residents who need a better response to the virus hes disappointed by the reac tion he received from the regions public health department when he tried to report a dead bird mr nasuto was irked he called three times on three separate days and each time was put through to a voice message machine finally he received a message on his answering machine asking what type of bird he had found no one came to test the bird said mr nasuto who found it in the weston and rutherford roads area april 29 i was trying to keep the kids away from it v with files from roger varley nm better for your free brochure call our box 0fficeat6iir6t 7469 mom sat 1 11 am 6 pm markham jj kjheatne os3j ffferfmairfjrtti