Officials confirm 2nd case of St. Louis encephalitis in Clark County

A second case of St. Louis Encephalitis has been confirmed in Clark County, a week after it recorded its first case of the mosquito-borne disease in nearly a decade, according to health officials.

The cases are the only two confirmed in the U.S. by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this year, a CDC spokesman said.

The Southern Nevada Health District reported Friday that a man 50 or older contracted the disease but did not suffer from the more serious neuroinvasive form of the illness.

The Clark County resident’s identity and details of how he contracted the illness will not be released.

“This confirmed case is a reminder to Southern Nevadans that mosquito season is not over and it is important to continue to protect themselves from mosquito bites and eliminate breeding sources around their homes,” the district said in the release.

Another man in the same age range was briefly hospitalized last month after developing the more serious form of the illness, becoming the first person with a confirmed case of St. Louis Encephalitis in Nevada since 2007.

St. Louis Encephalitis often causes no symptoms or mild health issues including fever and headache, but serious cases can result in paralysis, coma and death.

Areas of Southern California, southwestern Arizona and Nevada have reported St. Louis Encephalitis-positive mosquitoes this year.

Contact Pashtana Usufzy at pusufzy@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563. Find her on Twitter: @pashtana_u