The Department of Health and Human Services in Iowa announced on Friday that a senior citizen from Plymouth County, aged 61 to 80, had the first case of West Nile virus this year.
At the State Hygienic Lab, a test confirmed the case.
Iowans are spending more time outside due to the warm summer weather, which increases the likelihood of being bitten by mosquitoes. The department stated, “The primary method by which humans become infected with the virus is through bites from infected mosquitoes.”
As of June 13, there were 13 cases this year in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oregon, Arizona, Wyoming, Nebraska, Illinois, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania all received reports of these cases. The Copper State received reports of four of those.
In 2022, the agency reported more than 1,125 cases of human disease.
A mosquito sample tested positive for the virus in the Texas county, which was confirmed by the Harris County Public Health Mosquito Vector Control Division.
A mosquito trapping site in the southwest part of the 77005 ZIP code served as the source of the positive sample.
As a response, the division would begin Friday night evening spray operations in the vicinity and where the sample was found.
“Our extensive program of mosquito surveillance is essential for determining the presence of the virus in our community and directs our control efforts to assist us in better protecting our residents. In a press release, Division Director Dr. Maximea Vigilant stated, “West Nile virus has been in our area since 2002.” We remind our residents to enjoy the great outdoors during the summer, but to remember to protect themselves and their families from diseases spread by mosquitoes.
In a press release issued on Thursday, the Southern Nevada Health District stated that it had located the first virus-positive mosquitoes of the season in the Clark County ZIP code 89074.
Dr. Fermin Leguen, District Health Officer, stated in a statement, “The positive mosquito results illustrate that West Nile virus is active in southern Nevada and that residents need to be vigilant about eliminating mosquito breeding sources while also protecting themselves from mosquito bites.”
During mosquito season, which begins in the summer and lasts through the fall, cases of West Nile virus occur.
The CDC notes that the majority of people infected with the virus, which is a member of the flavivirus genus, do not experience any symptoms and that there are neither vaccines nor medications available to treat it.
One in 150 people who are infected contract a serious and sometimes fatal illness, and approximately one in five people who are infected experience fever and other symptoms.
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