West Nile worries after wet weather

VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - Considering the wet spring we've had in the Valley, the Vigo Health Department is warning everyone to be extra cautious when it comes to the West Nile Virus.

The Vigo County Health Department said that now is the time when you should watch out for areas where mosquitoes breed.

The insects have been known to carry the disease. Even though there haven't been reported cases in the area yet there are still some things you can do to stay safe.

You should wear long sleeves outside especially after dusk. Also, use insect repellant with DEET to ward off the mosquitoes.

Most importantly, they said you should look for anything that could hold water for longer than a day on your property, standing water attracts mosquitoes.

"It could be something as simple as a pop can laying on their property," Megan Bland of the Vigo County Health Department said. "If that has water in it that's a potential breeding site. So just really try to be cautious and pay attention to those kinds of things that might be laying around your property."

The health department does chemically treat ditches known to have high mosquito counts.