Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health announced that the victim was a 72 year old woman, who died earlier this month after being hospitalized in Orange County in Southern California. But the officials did not provide a specific date or say where she had been admitted.
Dr. Horton said, “This unfortunate death reminds us that we must take precautions to protect ourselves and our families from mosquito bites.”
The health officials announced that till date there have been 96 reported human cases of West Nile virus, in addition to 1 death. The West Nile virus infection has been found in 38 counties of California's 58 counties.
Dr. Horton also said that the neuroinvasive disease has been also found in 1,295 dead birds in the state; 109 chickens, 9 squirrels, 1,101 mosquito samples and 5 horses. So far this year, in Southern California, 566 dead birds and 316 mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile.
In year 2004, Southern California reported 710 human cases of West Nile virus(WNV), in addition to 21 deaths and the health authorities say the risk of human infection in Southern California is the highest since 2004.
Howard Sutter, spokesman for the Orange County Health Care Agency said, "We think it is very important that people take the precautions they can take to protect themselves against mosquito bite."
Sutter added, "This is an important reminder that this can be a serious illness. It is a very unpredictable virus."
The health authorities said that nearly 70% of the West Nile victims in the Southern California in 2008 have contracted the West Nile neuroinvasive disease (NIV), the more serious neurological form of the disease.
The authorities though ensured people that most people infected with the virus not experience any illness. Others will have mild to moderate symptoms such as fever, headache and body aches that usually last a few days but can continue as long as several months.
However, older people over 50s are more likely to get sick and develop serious symptoms and people suffering from diabetes or hypertension have the greatest risk of becoming ill.
Coming from the family of Flaviviridae, part of the Japanese encephalitis
define (JE) antigenic complex of viruses, the West Nile virus is mainly transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito and mainly infects birds but it cans also infect humans, dogs, horses, dogs, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrel and domestic rabbits.
Mosquitoes transmit the virus after becoming infected by feeding on the blood of birds carrying the virus. The people affected with the virus have either no symptoms or they have flu-like symptoms including high fever, headache, body aches, neck stiffness, coma, tremors, fits, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. In the most rare and extreme cases, West Nile virus can cause a condition called encephalitis which is irritation and swelling of the brain.
During the summer months, July to early September the risk of being bitten by an infected mosquito is highest in US but in some parts of the country, mosquito bites can be a risk all year long.
People must use insect repellent containing DEET as a protective measure and wear loose-fitting, light-colored, long-sleeve shirts and long pants when outdoors, especially at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active
While camping, make sure you don’t sleep outside, put screens on windows and ensure doors fit tightly and have no holes.
As mosquitoes become infected by feeding on infected birds, the health department recommends that California residents must get rid of standing water which can serve as mosquito breeding grounds.
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