2nd West Nile virus case reported in Clark County
A woman over the age of 50 is the second person in Clark County to contract the West Nile virus this year, the Southern Nevada Health District said Thursday.
“Mosquitoes are still quite active in Southern Nevada,” Dr. Joseph Iser, the district’s chief health officer, said in a news release. “We urge everyone to take simple steps to eliminate mosquito breeding sources around their homes,” including keeping your home free of standing water.
The first case of 2017, reported in May, resulted in the death of a man, also over the age of 50. Two cases were reported in 2016, along with three St. Louis Encephalitis cases, a similar mosquito-borne disease.
West Nile is spread when an infected mosquito bites. Though many people with West Nile are asymptomatic, others might experience fever, head and body aches, nausea, vomiting and sometimes a rash.
In more serious cases, West Nile results in neurological disease and death. The woman infected has a neurological form of the virus, the Health District said Thursday.
The district’s mosquito surveillance unit regularly tests for West Nile and similar viruses. Health officials set nearly 1,800 mosquito traps and submitted more than 40,000 mosquitoes for analysis this year.
Fourteen zip codes in the county returned positive tests for the virus this year.
In addition to eliminating standing pools of water, the Health District recommends using insect repellent containing DEET and wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts outside.
Contact Jessie Bekker at jbekker@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563. Follow @jessiebekks on Twitter.
There are 14 Las Vegas zip codes where mosquito pools have tested positive for West Nile virus.
