St. Louis Encephalitis Prevention
There is no vaccine to prevent St. Louis encephalitis in humans. Reducing exposure to mosquitoes is the best defense against St. Louis encephalitis and other mosquito-borne diseases. There are several approaches you and your family can use to prevent and control mosquito-borne diseases.
Avoid Mosquito Bites
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Use Insect Repellent. On exposed skin when you go outdoors, use an EPA-registered insect repellent such as those with DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Even a short time being outdoors can be long enough to get a mosquito bite. For details on when and how to apply repellent, see Insect Repellent Use and Safety in our Questions and Answers pages. See also Using Insect Repellent Safely from the EPA.
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Wear Proper Clothing to Reduce Mosquito Bites. When weather permits, wear long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors. Mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, so spraying clothes with repellent containing permethrin or another EPA-registered repellent will give extra protection. Do not apply repellents containing permethrin directly to skin. Do not spray repellent on the skin under your clothing.
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Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours. The hours from dusk to dawn are peak biting times for many species of mosquitoes. Take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing during evening and early morning or consider avoiding outdoor activities during these times.
Mosquito-Proof Your Home and Community
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Drain Standing Water. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by getting rid of items that hold water.
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Install or Repair Screens. Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by having well-fitting screens on both windows and doors. Offer to help neighbors whose screens might be in bad shape.
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Clean Up. Mosquito breeding sites can be anywhere. Neighborhood clean up days can be organized by civic or youth organizations to pick up containers from vacant lots and parks, and to encourage people to keep their yards free of standing water. Mosquitoes do not care about fences, so it is important to control breeding sites throughout the neighborhood.
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Look into Mosquito Control Programs. Check with local health authorities to see if there is an organized mosquito control program in your area. If no program exists, work with your local government officials to establish a program.
More questions about mosquito control? A source for information about pesticides and repellents is the National Pesticide Information Center, which also operates a toll-free information line: 1-800-858-7378 (check their web site for hours).
Content Source:
Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases
National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases