Rubbing the gooey liquid over her arms and legs and wrinkling her nose at the greasy feeling it left on her limbs, sophomore Athena F. hurriedly applied bug spray, provided free by the school district, to her appendages, throwing the bottle on the grass as she ran to join the soccer game already in progress on the grassy field.

“I like the option of having bug spray that’s provided by the school because you never know when you’re going outside or not, and you don’t want to leave it at school because you may lose it,” Athena said. “By using bug spray, I don’t get mosquito bites as often and feel more protected from getting West Nile [Virus].”

According to school nurse Nancy Vasut, the West Nile Virus is a form of encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain caused by bacteria. The saliva of infected mosquitoes, injected into the skin through bites, transmits the virus. Originating from the Middle East and fairly common in Africa and West Asia, it is unknown how the disease reached the United States.

“This situation is a struggle for all of us because we are all potential victims,” Vasut said. “Encephalitis is not a new disease and has many etiologies.”

According to the Houston Chronicle’s online information source regarding the virus [http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/health/index.html], there are clearly defined symptoms of infection. Mild symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, body ache, and occasionally skin rashes or swollen lymph glands. More severe infections may be marked by high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, paralysis or death.

“The symptoms of West Nile [Virus] are common to many different viruses, so we shouldn’t take anything for granted,” Vasut said. “If it persists for 2-3 days, especially if there is fever, you should contact a doctor.”

School nurse Nancy Vasut said precautionary measures should be taken in a logical manner, such as wearing bug spray when outdoors. She said this is especially true for students recovering from recent illness, as their bodies’ ability to fight the disease might not be up to par.

“You just need to be cautious when you’re outside,” Vasut said. “Use insect repellant and get checked out if you start to feel bad. If there are any students with a compromised immune system, they need to take more precaution.”

Dead birds in Alief have been identified as infected with the virus, and nine Houston citizens have been confirmed as having the disease. As a result of these cases, the district opted to provide bug spray for all Alief schools and send out precautionary letters warning teacher, students and parents of possible risk factors. Information about the virus was also posted on the Alief Home Page [www.alief.isd.tenet.edu].

“A person needs to be cautious,” Rainwater said. “There have been enough deaths to be worried about. The precautions we were asked to take came directly from the district.”

Rainwater said she encouraged students to take advantage of the repellant provided for outdoor activities. She said students are also welcome to bring their own spray from home, after which it will be labeled with the student’s name and taken up until it is needed.

“The district is not required to put out a notice,” Rainwater said. “They did it to be courteous. Principals were sent copies of precaution measures and instructed to give them to all staff members prior to the first day of school. We were asked to provide spray, and we did, for any outdoor classes. You are recommended to spray yourself and we will keep that available.”