When George, a 73-year-old resident of Doña Ana County, began to feel sick in late August, he attributed his slight fever and lower energy to allergies. When his fever rose to more than 104 degrees, he knew it was more severe than an allergic reaction.
Within days after visiting his doctor, George was diagnosed with West Nile virus, which led to viral meningitis. For seven days, he was hospitalized in Texas, often experiencing severe shakes and a fever so extreme doctors used a combination of IV fluids, antibiotics and ice packs on both sides of his ribs to keep him cool. George wants to maintain his anonymity by not releasing his last name, but does want to share his experience so others will take the disease more seriously.
"I was not doing anything to protect myself because normally I don't get bitten by mosquitoes at all," George said. "The one that did bite me had West Nile and now I'm lucky to be alive. I take those precautions very seriously now and I would advise everyone else in the county to follow them closely."
Paul Ettestad, state public health veterinarian for the New Mexico Department of Health, said Doña Ana County is having a high incidence of West Nile virus activity in mosquito pools that are being tested. In August, 20 out of 26 mosquito pools from Doña Ana County tested positive. Every pool from Las Cruces was positive and seven out of eight pools tested in Mesilla were positive.
"With this high number of positive mosquitoes, people need to avoid getting bit by even one mosquito," Ettestad said.
Of the 27 human cases of West Nile Virus, Doña Ana County has had eight, the most in the state. One of the two fatalities was in Doña Ana County.
The Department of Health recommends the following steps to reduce the risk of infection from West Nile virus:
- Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants and socks whenever you are outdoors.
- Products containing DEET or Picaridin can provide longer-lasting protection. Use insect repellent products with no more than 35 percent DEET for adults and follow the directions on the label for children from ages 2 to 12. Natural products containing soybean oil or lemon eucalyptus oil have also been shown to be effective but need to be applied more often.
- Keep windows and doors closed if not screened. If you leave your doors or windows open, make sure they have screens that fit tightly and have no holes.
- Do not allow water to stagnate in old tires, flowerpots, trash containers, swimming pools, birdbaths, pet bowls, etc.
- Horse owners should contact their veterinarian to have their horses vaccinated against West Nile virus.
Insect repellents should never be used on pets, according to the National Animal Poison Control Center, which is part of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Dogs and cats tend to lick themselves and can ingest toxins, which could harm them significantly more than the West Nile virus. So far both dogs and cats have been fairly resistant to the virus.
The other West Nile virus death was in McKinley County. The other 27 human cases are from: San Juan County (5), Bernalillo County (4), Chaves County (3), Grant County (1), Sierra County (1), Roosevelt County (1), Curry County (1), Socorro County (1) Rio Arriba County (1), and McKinley County (1). There has also been West Nile in horses and mosquitoes throughout the state.
West Nile virus can cause an illness with flu-like symptoms such as fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches, and it can also cause more severe illnesses such as meningitis and encephalitis. People older than 50 are at the highest risk for serious complications from West Nile Virus.
Chris J. Minnick works for the New Mexico Department of Health and writes a weekly column for Healthy Living. He can be reached at christopher.minnick@state.nm.us.
No comments:
Post a Comment