Officials with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare told KLEW News that the first human case of West Nile virus infected a 50 year old Washington County woman in southwest Idaho.
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There are no medications to treat or vaccines to prevent West Nile virus infection. The only other human case in Colorado so far this year was reported in a man in Mesa County.
The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District reported that laboratory results received Wednesday confirm 26 mosquito samples tested positive for West Nile virus. Many West Nile cases go unreported, however, because many people who contract the virus do not develop symptoms.
Statistics show that only about 70-80 percent of people that get bitten by an infected mosquito will show symptoms of the illness. Even though there has been a long stretch of dry weather, the areas where stagnant water remains is all mosquitoes need to hatch their eggs. “Ohioans should take reasonable precautions to avoid mosquito bites and eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites”.
-Minimize activities outside at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
The communities include Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Revere, Somerville and Watertown, health officials said.
– Drain sources of standing water around your home each week so mosquitoes don’t grow.
Meanwhile, the Ohio Department of Health has confirmed that a mosquito trap in Maple Heights has tested positive for West Nile virus.
West Nile is usually contracted from the bite of an infected mosquito.
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Empty plastic swimming pools when not in use. “Stay safe by draining any standing water near or in your home, making sure that screens are intact, and keeping your skin covered with clothing and mosquito repellent”.
