NATCHEZ — Everyone who spends any time in the great outdoors is familiar with mosquitoes, the vampire insects that buzz in your ear, bite you in uncomfortable places and carry diseases.

And now, the Mississippi State Department of Health reports that at least one human case of a mosquito-borne disease is present Adams County.

The disease in question is LaCross encephalitis, which is mosquito-borne but is not a result of West Nile Virus.

LaCross encephalitis is usually asymptomatic, but some of those infected with the disease may experience fever, headache, vomiting, lethargy and sometimes seizures.

It is also more likely that children and young adults who are infected with LaCross encephalitis will display symptoms.

“If it does present itself, it is more likely to present with a seizure,” State Epidemiologist Mary Currier said. “Most of the folks who have this disease get over it and are fine after that.”

The state has also detected a more dangerous form of encephalitis, Eastern Equine encephalitis, in Jackson County, but the disease is relatively uncommon in humans because the mosquitoes that carry it do not usually bite humans directly, Currier said.

Instead, that mosquito feeds on birds, and other breeds of mosquitoes bite the birds and then move on to other animals.

The mosquito that carries LaCross encephalitis is the Tree Hole Mosquito, which likes to breed in the moisture pockets of trees and in containers that may store water, so people need to be especially careful to take precautions in the woods, Currier said.

All totaled, there are nine cases of West Nile Virus in Mississippi, three cases of LaCross encephalitis and one case of Eastern Equine encephalitis.

To reduce the risks of contracting mosquito-borne illnesses, the Mississippi State Department of Health recommends:

Remove all sources of standing water.

Avoid mosquito prone areas, especially at dawn and dusk.

Wear protective clothing in areas with high mosquito activity.

Use a DEET-based mosquito repellent.