BREAKING
New case of human West Nile virus reported in Clark County
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- A 38-year-old Clark County man is the latest person to contract the West Nile virus, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.
The man has the less serious form of the illness. Among the five previously reported cases, one other patient also had the less serious form and all of the victims were hospitalized.
So far, only one person has died in Nevada this year -- a 75-year-old woman, the first local human case.
The death was the fourth West Nile-related death in Clark County since 2003.
In addition, two mosquito pools have tested positive in Las Vegas -- 89107 and 89145 and a horse in the 89130 ZIP code also tested positive.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced earlier that West Nile virus infections and illness rates are on a record pace this year with more than 3,900 cases and 163 deaths reported through Oct. 2.
The health district would like to remind the community to take precautions to prevent the virus.
est Nile virus can be prevented by using insect repellents and eliminating sources of standing water which support mosquito breeding. For information about prevention tips, visit the health district’s West Nile virus pages on its website: http://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/west-nile/index.php
West Nile virus is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes, which acquire the virus by feeding on infected birds. The illness is not spread person to person.
Many people with the virus will have no symptoms or very mild clinical symptoms of illness. Mild symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach, and back. In some cases the virus can cause severe illness and even death.
In 2011, Nevada reported 16 cases, 11 of which were in Clark County. There were no human cases of West Nile virus were reported in Clark County in 2010.
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