BATON ROUGE - Following the confirmation of Louisiana's first human West Nile virus case of 2025, the Louisiana Department of Health reminds you of tips to protect yourself against mosquitos.

"West Nile virus (WNV) is spread to people by mosquitoes and can cause mild to severe flu-like illness," according to the Louisiana Department of Health. "While most people infected with West Nile virus develop no symptoms, about 20% of infected people develop West Nile fever. West Nile fever is a flu-like illness with symptoms that can include fever, headaches, body aches, nausea, and rashes."

To protect yourself against mosquitos, it's recommended to wear EPA-registered mosquito repellent outdoors on exposed skin and to make sure windows are tight-fitting and screens are hole-free.

It's also important to protect your home against mosquitos. You can do so by eliminating standing water around your home, turning over wheelbarrows and anything that can collect standing water, clean roof gutters routinely and more. You can also get areas surrounding your home professionally sprayed on a regular basis.

Visit the CDC’s Fight the Bite for more tips on preventing mosquito-borne diseases.