Heavy storms in the State of Michigan have favored the avalanche of floodwater mosquitoes. "It's been a bad year for nuisance mosquitoes," said Kim Signs, an epidemiologist at the Michigan Department of Community Health.

The bright side is that the drenched conditions don't facilitate the Culex pipiens mosquito the type that can bring the West Nile virus. The majority of the people contaminated by the virus develop no symptoms. However, about 20 percent have slight flu-like symptoms, and one in 150 develop serious conditions like encephalitis, meningitis or inflammations of the brain.

16 human cases and four deaths have been reported the previous year in Michigan. Up to now in 2008, health officials from the Midwestern state haven’t had information of the virus. However, the main season is roughly a month away.

Inhabitants have been advised to take preventive measures. These include DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, wearing long-sleeved blouses in the open air, draining standing water and staying indoors during dusk and down, when mosquitoes most attack.

West Nile virus first turned up in the US in 1999, and is usually carried by birds. Human beings can become infected with it from mosquitoes that have bitten infected crows, blue jays and ravens.

The findings of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published last week showed that in 2007 there have been about 175,000 West Nile virus infections. In spite of this alarming number, only 3,630 cases of West Nile and 117 deaths from the virus were reported to the agency last year.