Kansas reports first death from West Nile virus;No cases reported in Bourbon County; public health nurse said people should take precautions at dawn and dusk.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Kansas has had what is believed to be its first reported death from the West Nile virus since it first appeared in the state more than a decade ago, health officials said Friday.

The state Department of Health and Environment also reported that the state has had 19 probable or confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne virus so far this year. Typically, most cases are reported in August and September.

The state health department did not provide details of the fatal case, saying it wanted to protect the privacy of the victim's family.

Spokeswoman Miranda Steele said officials can't recall any other West Nile deaths in Kansas since the virus was first reported in the state in 1999.

Federal health officials have said this year has been among the worst nationwide for West Nile, with more than 1,000 illnesses and more than 40 deaths reported. Kansas had only a single reported case last year.

"It's a mystery right now, why we're having this spike in West Nile virus cases," said Claudia Blackburn, director of the Health Department in Sedgwick County, where most of the Kansas cases have been reported. "We don't have any evidence that there are more mosquitoes around."

Twelve of this year's cases were reported in Sedgwick County, and three more are in adjacent counties in south-central Kansas, one each in Harvey, Reno and Sumner counties. Douglas and Pottawatomie counties in northeast Kansas each have reported a case, as have Stafford and Trego counties in western Kansas.

Bourbon County has had no reported cases, Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department Public Health Nurse Alice Maffett said earlier this week.

West Nile causes only mild illness in most people, but it can become serious, with permanent neurological effects.

Health officials are urging people to use insect repellent and wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts when they're outdoors, particularly at dawn and dusk. They're also urging people to eliminate pools of standing water and change water in pet dishes and birdbaths.

"It's here, and everybody needs to take precautions," Blackburn said.

Maffett said this includes bearing in mind that most mosquito activity takes place at dawn and dusk. People should apply insect repellent containing DEET and picaridin.

Replace water in pet bowls, bird baths and wading pools every three days, Maffett said.

Symptoms of West Nile Virus range from a mild headache and low-grade fever to a rash, general muscle aches and weakness. Some people will have gastrointestinal symptoms, but Maffett said that is "kind of rare."

In extreme cases -- neurological disease -- there can be swelling of the brain or brain tissue or death, she said.

The largest number of West Nile cases is in Texas where the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 537 total illnesses and 19 deaths.

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