September 4 , 2009

Three Elmore County Residents Test Positive for West Nile Virus

Three Elmore County women have tested positive for the West Nile virus. Two of them, one her her 30s and another in her 60s from Mountain Home, had symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization. Both have since been released and are recovering at home. The third case involved a woman in her 70s from Glenns Ferry.

“These cases are a reminder that we still need to be vigilant in preventing mosquito bites,” Said Nikki Sakata, Program Manager for Communicable Disease Control at the Central District Health Department. “Just because there have been few reported human cases in Idaho this year, doesn’t mean that the disease has gone away.”

Tests of mosquito pools in Elmore County have turned up positive in Mountain Home, Hammett and on the Mountain Home Air Force Base.

The majority of people bitten by infected mosquitoes suffer few if any symptoms. However, in about 20% of cases the symptoms of West Nile fever present with headaches, body aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash. Symptoms can last from a few days, to several weeks.

In rare cases West Nile infection can lead to swelling of the brain or spinal cord and severe symptoms that may include high fever, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.

West Nile typically peaks in mid-August or early September. In fact, the first human case in Elmore County in 2008 was reported about the same time.

To protect themselves from mosquito bites people should:

• “Fight the Bite” by applying insect repellent containing DEET or other EPA-approved repellents to exposed skin and clothing. Follow instructions on the product label, especially for children;
• Insect-proof their homes by repairing or replacing screens;
• Reduce standing water on their property that provides mosquito breeding habitat, such as bird baths and decorative ponds;
• Cover up exposed skin when outdoors; and
• Avoid mosquitoes when they are most active at dawn and dusk.

Additional information about the virus is available from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s web site at www.westnile.idaho.gov or by calling the West Nile virus hotline1-877-333-9681. Information is also available on the Central District Health Department website.