Sixth case of West Nile virus reported in Clark County

Another case of West Nile virus was reported Friday in Clark County, one day after the Southern Nevada Health District announced an “outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases.”

The Health District announced that a sixth reported case of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus had been reported. There were no human cases of the virus, which is spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes, in Clark County last year.

The newest case was that of a woman younger than 50 who has the more-serious neuroinvasive form of the virus. In announcing the outbreak Thursday, the district said three other recent cases of the disease had been reported.

Two of the three recent cases involved men older than 50, one of whom suffered the “non-neuroinvasive form” of the illness while the other showed no symptoms. He was classified by the Health District as a “presumptively viremic donor,” meaning a person who does not exhibit symptoms at the time of a blood draw but whose blood later tests positive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The third person to test positive was also a woman younger than 50, who also had the neuroinvasive form of West Nile.

The two other cases reported this year were announced in April and early July. Both involved women younger than 50 who suffered the neuroinvasive form, the district has said.

The district reminded the public on Friday to take steps to prevent mosquito bites and eliminate breeding sources around homes, which are typically areas of standing water. As of Friday, West Nile-positive mosquitoes had been identified in 25 ZIP codes, the district said.

The symptoms of West Nile include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back, according to the Health District. In some cases, the virus can cause severe neurological illness and death.

To prevent mosquito bites and eliminate mosquito breeding sources, the Health District recommends:

— Using insect repellents registered with the Environmental Protection Agency that contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), or 2-Undecanone.

— Wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts to reduce mosquito exposure when outdoors.

— Eliminating areas of standing water around your home, including noncirculating ponds, “green” swimming pools and accumulated sprinkler runoff, which support mosquito breeding.

More information on mosquito-borne illnesses can be found at SNHD.info and healthysouthernnevada.org.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.