What is La Crosse virus? TN sees increase in mosquito-borne virus

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Knox County Health Department shared that six children were hospitalized after contracting the La Crosse virus in the past nine weeks. According to KCHD, t his is the highest number of cases in the counties since 2020.

La Crosse virus is a mosquito-borne viral infection that’s transmitted through mosquitoes that bite around dawn and dusk in the East Tennessee area, which predominantly causes severe outcomes in children under 16 according to KCHD. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the virus is found in eastern and north-central areas of the United States.

According to data from the past ten years, cases are generally reported in the eastern portion of Tennessee but some have been reported in Rutherford and Putnam counties.

“The biggest thing we want to highlight is that this is an increase in risk and because it can land young kids in the hospital for a couple of days, even though most recover normally,” said Dr. Corinne Tandy, the division director of epidemiology at KCHD. “We just want people to be aware, to be a little extra diligent about that mosquito bite prevention just because it can cause that serious outcome, but we still want people to be able to spend time outside.”

According to the CDC, between 30-90 La Crosse cases are reported each year, however, this is thought to be a “substantial under-diagnosis” due to the “under-reporting of less severe cases.” Cases are primarily found during the late spring through early fall while mosquitoes are most active.

Tandy explained that not everyone who is infected with La Crosse after a mosquito bite will develop symptoms, but severe infections can cause brain inflammation. She said the things to look out for are fevers and headaches, followed by extreme fatigue, confusion and seizures. If symptoms do develop, she said to seek medical care.

“The biggest thing to reduce your risk of getting any La Crosse virus is to try to do your best to limit how many mosquito bites you are getting,” said Tandy.

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To avoid mosquito bites, KCHD advises the following steps:

• Use insect repellents
• Wear long-sleeve shirts and pants if working in grassy areas and cover strollers/baby carriers with mosquito netting
• Reducing standing water on your property
• Ensure your home has tight-fitting screens over windows and doors to keep mosquitoes from entering

“[Mosquitoes] love little tiny amounts of water. We’re not talking about a pond, but rather like a small little cup that’s lying in the backyard that’s got standing water in it. That is where they breed, and that is where these mosquitoes that pass this disease often are. So make sure you’re reducing standing water on your property,” said Tandy.

She added, “This is not a don’t play in the yard kind of situation. This is a just be careful while you’re playing in the yard, especially around dawn and dusk. And so, we just want to emphasize that we can continue to work to prevent this especially as we probably have another month or month and a half or so of mosquito season left.”

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