A Cumberland County man tested positive yesterday, health officials said. The avid hunter had lots of mosquito bites.
By Wendy Ruderman
Inquirer Staff Writer
A Cumberland County man has tested positive for West Nile virus, state health officials announced yesterday.
The man, 33, whose name and town were withheld by officials, is New Jersey's first human case of West Nile this year and the 44th case in the state since 1999, when the virus first surfaced here. Two of the 44 victims died.
The latest victim is an avid hunter who recalled receiving multiple mosquito bites while hunting near his home recently.
On July 28, the man developed a fever, a headache, a stiff neck and a rash. He was admitted to South Jersey Healthcare in Bridgeton on Aug. 5 and released three days later.
Doctors diagnosed him with meningitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord - a trademark of viral infection. The man's blood and spinal fluid tested positive for West Nile antibodies yesterday.
The number of reported West Nile cases is up this year, according to figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far, 446 people contracted the virus in 25 states, with 10 deaths in three states. Last year at this time, health officials across the nation reported 251 cases in 12 states, with 11 deaths.
State Health Commissioner Clifton R. Lacy said West Nile "is here to stay."
"Although there is no treatment for this disease, it is completely preventable by avoiding mosquito bites," Lacy said in a statement.
West Nile is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. The state this year has taken blood samples from 452 crows in 17 counties - 110 of which tested positive.
Lacy urged residents to repair ripped window screens, wear long-sleeved clothing when outside, use insect repellent, and eliminate pools of standing water.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/6546382.htm
By Wendy Ruderman
Inquirer Staff Writer
A Cumberland County man has tested positive for West Nile virus, state health officials announced yesterday.
The man, 33, whose name and town were withheld by officials, is New Jersey's first human case of West Nile this year and the 44th case in the state since 1999, when the virus first surfaced here. Two of the 44 victims died.
The latest victim is an avid hunter who recalled receiving multiple mosquito bites while hunting near his home recently.
On July 28, the man developed a fever, a headache, a stiff neck and a rash. He was admitted to South Jersey Healthcare in Bridgeton on Aug. 5 and released three days later.
Doctors diagnosed him with meningitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord - a trademark of viral infection. The man's blood and spinal fluid tested positive for West Nile antibodies yesterday.
The number of reported West Nile cases is up this year, according to figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far, 446 people contracted the virus in 25 states, with 10 deaths in three states. Last year at this time, health officials across the nation reported 251 cases in 12 states, with 11 deaths.
State Health Commissioner Clifton R. Lacy said West Nile "is here to stay."
"Although there is no treatment for this disease, it is completely preventable by avoiding mosquito bites," Lacy said in a statement.
West Nile is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. The state this year has taken blood samples from 452 crows in 17 counties - 110 of which tested positive.
Lacy urged residents to repair ripped window screens, wear long-sleeved clothing when outside, use insect repellent, and eliminate pools of standing water.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/6546382.htm
