SIOUX FALLS, S.D.-
Bug and health experts say there's no way to predict whether 2006 will be another bad year for the West Nile virus. But they do say repellants made from two newly approved ingredients could help people protect themselves from mosquitoes that carry the disease.
The ingredients approved for use last year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control are picaridin and oil of lemon eucalpytus, which have been used in other countries for years.
Repellants made with DEET have long been considered effective against mosquitoes, but the CDC's approval of picaridin and oil of lemon eucalpytus adds "another bullet in our arsenal," said Lon Kightlinger, South Dakota's state epidemiologist.
South Dakota has recorded 1,357 West Nile cases and 17 deaths from the virus since the first reported case in 2002, when 37 cases were documented, he said.
The entire region has some of the highest rates of the virus and South Dakota had the most cases per capita in North America in 2003 and 2005, Kightlinger said.
"There's something about the upper Great Plains that that mosquito likes," he said.
West Nile symptoms are flu-like and usually mild. However, the disease can cause paralysis and lingering health problems.
The elderly and people with weak immune systems are most susceptible to the worst forms of the disease. July and August are the worst months for spread of the virus.
