The recent confirmation of the West Nile Virus in an Erie County pool makes this the perfect time to make sure we all do our part to protect ourselves against the common mosquito.

Mosquitoes are carriers of the West Nile Virus and of eastern equine encephalitis. Those who want to be outdoors can protect themselves pretty easily by using good insect repellents, wearing long pants and sleeves, by staying inside during peak mosquito activity at dawn and dusk. Homeowners would be wise to limit sources of standing water that are breeding grounds for mosquitoes, including changing the water in birdbaths and planter bases every two days and cleaning clogged gutters so rainfall drains properly rather than pooling in gutters.

Doing so is a better alternative than possibly contracting West Nile or eastern equine encephalitis. West Nile doesn’t show symptoms in all who are infected, but 20 percent of those who are infected get fevers, have head and body aches, skin rashes and swollen glands. Extreme cases develop into inflammation of the brain or meningitis. The story is much the same for those bitten by a mosquito carrying eastern equine encephalitis. Some may show no symptoms while others see flu-like symptoms.

There is no human vaccine for either disease, which means prevention is the best medicine. We should all enjoy these fleeting few months of summer before we fall into winter’s harsh grip – but let’s do so safely.