Mosquitoes are working overtime this summer season, so bad that Fort Bend County has started spraying from above to help control the population.
And experts say they can leave you with much more than itchy bites and welts and make you really sick.
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Mosquitoes carry diseases like West Nile, Zika, and malaria, but what many people don’t realize is that they can cause another serious infection that could lead to death.
“It can cause meningitis, an infection in your brain. It can get pretty serious,” said Dr. Carrie Bakunas, medical director of Emergency Services at Memorial Hermann TMC.
“Symptoms are pretty vague. So it’s pretty much like any kind of virus-like symptom you might have. It may feel kind of like a flu, so you would expect to have fever or headache, muscle aches, joint pain. You may even have a rash if you have symptoms such as confusion, neck stiffness, difficulty walking or speaking; that is an emergency you need to go to the hospital right away,” adds Dr. Bakunas.
Meningitis is a bacterial or viral infection that can cause brain and spinal cord swelling. Symptoms include severe headache, stiff neck, and high fever.
If you experience any of these symptoms, get to a doctor immediately.