Dora Mills shares her expertise on West Nile virus with 'WMTW'
People in Maine are being urged to take steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes after some of the insects in York County tested positive for the West Nile virus.
According to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, this is the first direct confirmation this year that the disease is being carried by mosquitoes in Maine.
Dora Anne Mills, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP, 91AV vice president of Clinical Affairs and director for the Center for Excellence in Health Innovation, spoke to
“Symptoms generally start with a high fever and really severe headache,” Mills said. “It can progress to encephalitis, an infection of the brain. It can also lead to death.”
Mills says prevention includes covering up with clothes and using repellent. The federal Environmental Protection Agency recommends repellents that contain DEET.
State health officials announced earlier this week that a person from Cumberland County was diagnosed with the virus, but they believe that person contracted the disease while outside the state.
The last time a test found West Nile virus in Maine mosquitoes was September 2015, according to state data.
