HOUSTON—A northwest Houston man is the city’s latest confirmed West Nile virus death, the City of Houston Health Department reported Thursday.
The man was between the ages of 75 and 84. No other information on the victim was released.
There have been a total of four reported West Nile deaths, and 49 total cases of illness in Houston.
Kathy Barton with Houston Department of Health and Human Services says the type of mosquito that carries West Nile is not very aggressive but breeds in storm sewers and finds ways into people’s homes.
“It only goes out of the storm sewers between dusk and dawn. It likes to come into your home though, and often times that is what we find, or investigators find. That is where people were bitten,” Barton said.
Mosquitoes get West Nile virus after biting infected birds. Symptoms of mild West Nile include fever, headache, sore throat, body aches, fatigue, skin rash and swollen lymph glands.
Most people under 55 can have the disease with no symptoms at all, and most other cases are very mild. The most vulnerable to the disease are people over 55 or with weak immune systems.
Most people under 55 can have the disease with no symptoms at all, and most other cases are very mild. The most vulnerable to the disease are people over 55 or with weak immune systems.
Symptoms of more severe West Nile virus infections - encephalitis and meningitis - include headache, high fever, stiff neck, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, coma and paralysis. If you have these symptoms, contact your health care provider right away.
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