Washtenaw County public health officials confirm first West Nile case in the state
Washtenaw County public health officials today confirmed a human case of West Nile virus that sickened a Pittsfield Township man.
On Friday, officials said the man, who has recovered, tested positive for the virus in initial lab results, but another test was needed. The confirmation makes his the first human case of West Nile virus identified in Michigan for the 2010 season.
People are being urged to take precautions against mosquito bites.
Officials said the man was bitten by an infected mosquito in his neighborhood during the first week of August and contracted a mild form of the illness called West Nile fever. No further details on the case were released, including the man's age or the exact neighborhood.
County residents are being urged to take precautions to prevent mosquito bites and to call the Washtenaw County West Nile virus hotline at 734-544-6750 to report dead birds or receive general West Nile virus information.
Hot, dry weather conditions are favorable for amplifying the virus cycle in birds and mosquitoes, particularly in urban and suburban areas, the county said in a news release. In Michigan, August and September are the months of greatest risk to humans for becoming infected with the West Nile virus.
“Fortunately, we have not traditionally experienced a large number of human cases of West Nile in Washtenaw County. However, most of the cases in previous years were exposed close to the Labor Day weekend,” Dr. Diana Torres-Burgos, Washtenaw County medical director, said in a news release. “Individuals should be particularly vigilant right now in preventing mosquito bites to themselves and their families.”
According to the county, most people infected with West Nile virus do not have any symptoms of illness, but one in four will become ill three to 15 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Symptoms of mild illness from West Nile can include slight fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes a skin rash and swollen glands. Serious illness from West Nile can include a high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, mental confusion, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis.
Nationally, 115 human cases of West Nile virus have been reported in 2010 to date, resulting in three deaths, county figures show.
Comments
Rork Kuick
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 : 2:14 p.m.
Actually I am having trouble finding recent serologic surveys from anywhere around here, and since I give blood to dozens of mosquitoes on a near-daily basis, have wondered if people like me have already had West Nile, and are now immune. This effect may cause the frequency of reported cases to decline too (those who haven't gotten it yet, are less liable to get it). Note: I am not saying I have good reason to think many of the frequently out-of-doors people are now immune, I just wonder. The literature is hard to wade through, with almost 4000 hits in Pubmed, so if you know lots, spoon feed me some.
boom
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 : 11:23 a.m.
For what it's worth, I began taking even more precautions after reading Friday's story. Long sleeves & baseball hat in addition to using insect spray before I go outside in the early evening. The mosquitos have been vicious this year, even biting through t-shirts.
bhall
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 : 10:44 a.m.
I'm not sure how providing information to the public is "irresponsible", as some people say. Is there such a proclivity to throw barbs at everybody online that we lose sight of what's important? The fact is not everybody takes precautions when going into the woods or parks or conducting other outdoor activities, especially at this time of year. Since the virus circulates, I'm not sure how county officials could satisfy a demand for "the location where the infection is likely to have taken place." The person could have gotten bitten in his backyard, or maybe at a friend's backyard, or maybe during a hike in the woods, etc. It's impossible to tell where the bite happened, but the message is still the same: the virus is circulating, take precautions. For otherwise healthy people, West Nile is an unpleasant sickness to have, but it is preventable.
dading dont delete me bro
Mon, Aug 23, 2010 : 7:26 p.m.
is this like deja vu? wasn't this already covered over the weekend here on annarbor.com?
Epengar
Mon, Aug 23, 2010 : 4:05 p.m.
Since the virus circulates between birds and mosquitos, I'm not sure identifying the particular neighborhood would be useful information. Potential host birds certainly move around, and even mosquitos can disperse from one neighborhood to another.