The woman who contracted West Nile virus in Middlesex County has been “safely discharged” home, Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel told the News Service on Tuesday. The individual, a female over the age of 50, was hospitalized with the more serious neuroinvasive form of the illness and has since been released.
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The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) reported the first confirmed human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in 2016 involving an adult in Western Maryland.
Additionally, a horse in the 89021 ZIP code has tested positive for West Nile virus.
David Whitesell, manager of Colusa Mosquito Abatement, said the mosquito population this time of year is about the same as in years past. “The Culex mosquito prefers stagnant surface-waters (such as marshes, bogs, pastures, puddles, pools, water-filled ditches, etc.), however [it] may also lay eggs in containers that have stagnant water”.
According to Boze, pesticides are an effective way of preventing West Nile Virus and there is usually a 75-85 percent knockdown after the first fogging, and the second application aims for 90 percent. He says the state has asked the CDC for help fighting Zika in the parishes around Lake Pontchartrain that have the mosquitoes that can spread the disease.
WNV is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitos through bites. Residents should limit outdoor activities, wear trousers and long sleeves and use repellent during these hours.
DRAIN STANDING WATER-Standing water is the ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. In addition, a group of mosquitoes collected for testing in Upland and Colton were reported to have tested positive for the virus.
There were three WNV-positive mosquito samples in Sutter County, and one in Yuba County. DPHHS advises the public to get rid of standing water near homes and to wear insect repellent, especially near dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
About 1 in 5 infected people develop a low-grade fever, headache, and muscle aches that begin a week or two after becoming infected.
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Wednesday’s announcement also came just days after Oakland County officials revealed a blood donor had tested positive for the infection.
