The state does not release names or communities where the disease occurs, citing privacy regulations.
Advertisement
It’s Oakland’s first West Nile-related death since 2003.
Less than 1 percent of infected people will develop encephalitis or meningitis, which are inflammations of the brain or surrounding tissues, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More information about the virus is available on the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program website. In 2012, there were 33 cases and two deaths, the county Health Department reported.
In 2014, there was only one case of WNV, according to the Health Department.
“That is mapped pretty closely and carefully”, Minicuci said.
“Mosquitoes die off when the temperatures begin dipping to 30 and 20 degrees at night”, she said. Health officials said the woman lived in the northern part of the county, but they would not elaborate. Right now, forecasts suggests that might take a while. Earlier this month, Michigan health officials identified the state’s first confirmed human cases of West Nile Virus for 2015 in Macomb, Monroe, and Ottawa counties.
Advertisement
The virus is spread primarily through the bite of the Culex mosquito – which increases in numbers during mid to late summer when temperatures rise and the weather is dry. Although the risk of illness for most people is low, there is greater risk for older people, very young children and anyone with a weak immune system, he said.
