Human Case of WNV Reported in Davidson County
NASHVILLE, Tenn., August 15, 2008 -- Metro Public Health Department officials announced today that a Hermitage woman tested positive for West Nile virus. Her illness started in early August and she is now recovering.
“She traveled to other parts of the United States in the two weeks before her illness started, so we can’t determine if she was infected within Davidson County,” said Bill Paul, M.D., Director of Health for the Metro Public Health Department. “However, the virus has been found in mosquitoes here, and the Health Department will increase mosquito surveillance efforts in the Hermitage area, where she lives”.
This is the fifth human case in Nashville since 2002. One death occurred in 2002.
The Health Department began trapping and sending mosquitoes to the Tennessee Department of Health’s lab the first week in May. Trapped mosquitoes are tested for West Nile virus. Four mosquito batches sent to the lab this year have tested positive for West Nile virus. To date, none of the positive mosquitoes have been found in traps set near this person’s neighborhood.
West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne virus that can occasionally cause an infection of the brain in humans. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds and can then transmit West Nile virus to people and horses through mosquito bites.
Many human infections are mild, and symptoms include fever, headache, and body aches. In more severe infections such as meningitis or encephalitis, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, convulsions, or paralysis may be present. The virus cannot spread from person to person.
The Metro Public Health Department recommends taking the following precautions to protect against mosquito bites:
- Limit outdoor activities between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
- Wear protective clothing such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts and socks.
- Use a mosquito repellant that contains DEET (the chemical N-N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) Picaridin (KBR 3023), or Oil of lemon eucalyptus, and follow the directions on the label.
- Keep windows and doors closed and make sure window screens are in good repair to prevent mosquitoes from entering the house.