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West Nile Death in Sutter County
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| October 22, 2012 |
A Sutter County woman died in September from neuroinvasive West Nile Virus infection (WNV) and is the first reported death from WNV for Sutter County since WNV appeared in California. The WNV information for this case was not initially available, but later information was reported and the physician confirmed WNV. Our sympathy goes to the family.
Six human cases in Sutter County had been previously reported this year. The Sutter-Yuba Mosquito and Vector Control District continues to be active with mosquito control and monitoring mosquito activity and will continue until cold weather.
Risk for WNV infection from mosquito bites continues into late fall for humans, horses, and other mammals. It is very important to make sure to take the simple precautions that reduce the risk of mosquito bites and becoming infected with West Nile virus. The 4 “D”s is an easy way to remember how to prevent mosquito bites:
- D – DEET – use DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535. These are the EPA approved mosquito repellents to prevent bites; be sure to follow package instructions for age of person and how to apply
- D – Dawn and Dusk – avoid going outdoors at dawn and dusk when the mosquitoes that carry WNV are most active
- D – Doors and windows – make sure that the screens on your doors and windows are not broken or torn
- D – Drain all standing water around the outside of your house – gutters, jar lids, tires, flower pot trays are some common places
Approximately one in five people who are infected with WNV will develop symptoms, such as fever, headaches, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea or rash. Symptoms typically develop from 3 to 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Less than one percent of infected people will develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the brain and surrounding tissues).
The State of California West Nile virus webpage has information about WNV activity around the state by county, how to report dead birds, and how to protect against WNV. See http://www.westnile.ca.gov/.
For more information about the work that the Sutter County Mosquito and Vector Control District is doing to reduce numbers of mosquitoes, go to http://www.sutter-yubamvcd.org/.[More]  This an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. You can download a free PDF reader from Adobe. |
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