The town of Orono was notified by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention that mosquitoes in the area are carrying a virus that causes Jamestown Canyon Virus.
According to the Town of Orono’s Facebook page, the community received a verbal notice from the Maine CDC of the infection potential.
According to the Maine CDC, Jamestown Canyon Virus can cause mild flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, fever and chills and persistent headaches. The virus can make people seriously ill, and can cause inflammation of the brain and brainstem, create confusion and difficulty talking and neck stiffness in severe cases.
Symptoms can start to show anywhere from a few days after contact to up to two weeks after being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus.
Orono residents are warned to try to limit exposure to mosquitoes by wearing repellent, wearing long pants and long-sleeve shirts to lessen the amount of uncovered skin and trying to stay inside around dawn and dusk, as those times are when mosquitoes are most active.
