Mother Nature threw another curveball at the human anatomy - elevated traces of the West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis have seeped into Alachua County.
The viruses, which are transmitted by mosquito bites, have been detected by numerous sources, said Paul Myers, the assistant director of the Alachua County Health Department.
Indicators of the viruses' presence include chickens' blood samples that show traces, observations made by local veterinarians on horses and light traps bated with carbon dioxide that take mosquito counts.
Symptoms for diseases may include headache, fever, fatigue, weakness, dizziness and confusion. Myers said the viruses can only be transmitted from mosquito to person and not person to person.
Myers said that the elevated trend, which was noticed in late September and early October, is a seasonal result of Florida's humid climate mixed with rain showers. He believes once the weather begins to cool, the viruses will subside but never go away.
For now, Myers advises residents to cover up if they go out before dawn and after dusk and to avoid places where there are prevalent levels of stagnant water. According to Myers, one tablespoon of stagnant water is enough to attract 200 mosquitoes.
Although residents should be concerned about the viruses, Myers assures that it is far from reaching a pandemic level.
"This is definitely not something that should cause people to panic," he said, noting that more people die from lightning strikes in Florida than mosquito bites. "This is something that can be easily contained."
