Encouraging Health

18 deaths in 2008 compared with 124 in 2007

Officials are not sure why the 2008 season is so mild

The West Nile virus season is on track to be the mildest in seven years, with less than a third the number of serious cases as last year’s total, U.S. health officials said.

As of Tuesday, there were 368 severe cases, with 18 deaths, according to preliminary reports. Mississippi and California were hardest hit, together accounting for nearly half the cases.

Most West Nile infections are reported in August and September, so health officials believe the worst of the season is probably over.

It’s not clear why this season has been so mild, said officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s the fewest cases since 2001, when the mosquito-borne virus was still emerging in the United States and was only reported in 10 states.

Mosquitoes often pick up the virus from birds they bite and then spread it to people. Perhaps the weather in some areas of the country was not as favorable for mosquito-breeding as in years past, some experts said.

West Nile virus was first reported in the United States in 1999 in New York, then gradually spread across the country.

About one in five infected people get sick. One in 150 will develop severe symptoms including neck stiffness, disorientation, coma and paralysis.

For all of 2007, more than 1,200 cases of severe West Nile illness were reported, and 124 deaths. The peaks occurred in 2002 and 2003, when severe illnesses numbered nearly 3,000 and deaths surpassed 260.

Health officials are investigating the first human case of West Nile virus this year in Washoe County.

The Washoe District Health Department says a resident younger than 50 has been hospitalized with a milder form of the virus.

Earlier this month, Nevada’s first human case of West Nile this year was reported in Lyon County, and officials reported they were investigating the first “probable” human case of the virus this year in the Las Vegas area.

Twelve human cases were reported in Nevada in 2007.

West Nile is transmitted by mosquito bites, and authorities have encouraged residents to use insect repellent and eliminate areas of standing water.

Most people who are infected have no symptoms or what appears to be a mild flu.

West Nile Virus

The West Nile virus (WNV) was first detected in the Western Hemisphere in 1999 and has since rapidly spread across the North Americcan continent into all 48 continental states, seven Canadian provinces, and throughout Mexico. In addition, WNV activity has been detected in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Guadeloupe and El Salvador.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 15,000 people in the U.S. have tested positive for WNV infection since 1999, including over 500 deaths. Many more people have likely been infected with WNV, but have experienced mild or no symptoms.

Statistically, a person’s risk of contracting West Nile is low, and less than 1% of those infected develop serious illness from the virus. Those at highest risk for serious illness are the elderly and those with lowered immune systems. However, people of all ages can develop serious illness, so it is important for everyone to protect themselves from mosquito bites to minimize the risk of infection.

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