Department Confirms Four New West Nile Virus Cases in El Paso

The City of El Paso Department of Public Health is now investigating four new cases of West Nile virus. These latest confirmations bring the total number of cases to seven so far this year. They are:

 

          Patient    Age  Zip Code

 

1. Male       54    79935
2. Male       34    79912
3. Male       75    79915

 

1. Male       25    79936 (new)
2. Female   81    79907 (new)
3. Male       80    79905 (new)
4. Male       77    79915 (new)

 

“The current number of confirmed cases has reached the total number of cases we had in all of 2011,” said Michael Hill, Public Health Director. “We continue to ask that residents take precautions so that they are not bitten by mosquitoes, which is how this disease is transmitted,” he said.

 

Prevention

     The best way to avoid exposure to West Nile Virus is to practice the four Ds:

• use Insect repellents that contain DEET
• Drain any standing water
• Dress in long, loose and light-colored clothing and
• take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing from Dusk to Dawn.

 

To report standing water or mosquito breeding, call Environmental Services at (915) 599-6290.

 

Symptoms

• Serious Symptoms in a Few People. About one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness. The severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors,         convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent.

• Milder Symptoms in Some People. Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected have symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last for as short as a few days, though even healthy people have become sick for several weeks.

• No Symptoms in Most People. Approximately 80 percent of people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.

 

For more information on West Nile virus, please visit the CDC website:

 

www.elpasotexas.gov/health/westnile.asp

 

or the CDC at:

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/wnv_factSheet.htm