Learning about ways to protect my family against West Nile Virus has always been important to me because a mosquito bite landed me in the hospital years ago before I had my oldest son.  I became very sick with a viral infection of unknown origins and had to be taken to the emergency room because I was so violently ill.     Due to the fact that the doctors did not know why I was so sick, they ordered a battery of blood tests to get to the bottom of it.  When the results came back, I was told that I had Viral Encephalitis and had contracted it due to being bitten by an infected mosquito.  This was a shock to me because I had no idea that you could become so ill from a mosquito bite.     The symptoms that I suffered from were almost flu-like.  It was the first time that I realized that mosquitoes are not just a nuisance when you are trying to enjoy yourself outdoors.  their bites can pass along lasting physical and neurological damage or in rare and tragic cases, even lead to … [Read more...]