NEW CASTLE COUNTY, Del. - According to the Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the Delaware Public Health Laboratory has identified this year’s first human cases of West Nile Virus.
The agencies say three men 50 years of age and older from New Castle County contracted West Nile Virus and were hospitalized due to infection from the mosquito-borne illness.
The Delaware Division of Public Health says as of Tuesday, it appears that each victim is likely to have contracted the disease locally, but a public health investigation is ongoing.
In response to the human West Nile Virus cases discovered, the DPH and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control say mosquito population surveillance efforts will be increased in the areas where the infected men live. The agencies say if necessary, DNREC’s Mosquito Control Section in partnership with DPH may also conduct local control operations to try and prevent further human transmissions.
The agencies also note that the occurrence of the state’s three human cases coincides with an increase in WNV activity in the Mosquito Control Section’s sentinel chicken monitoring program, with the uptick in infected chickens typical for this time of year.
According to state health officials, West Nile Virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, generally in summer and fall, with a peak period for disease transmissions from mid-August to mid-October. Nearly 80 percent or four in five people infected with the virus will not become ill. While only a little less than 20 percent of those infected with the virus will develop West Nile fever with mild symptoms. Mild symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, a skin rash on the chest or back and swollen lymph glands. One in 150 people infected will develop severe infection of West Nile encephalitis or meningitis. Symptoms of severe infection include headache, high fever, stiff neck, and/or tremors and muscle weakness.
DPH says the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk. Anyone who experiences any of these severe symptoms is urged to seek medical help immediately. Symptoms may progress to stupor, disorientation, coma, convulsions, paralysis and possibly death.
DPH and the DNREC Mosquito Control Section also advise reducing outdoor activities that can cause heavy breathing or excessive perspiration, not wearing perfumes or colognes, and using mosquito repellents that may contain the ingredients DEET or Picaridin in accordance with product label instructions. Additionally, Delaware residents and landowners should eliminate standing water on their property that might exist for four or more consecutive days and that acts as a mosquito breeding habitat.
To report suspected cases of human West Nile Virus, call the Division of Public Health Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology toll-free at 888-295-5156.
For information on mosquito control operations in Delaware, including contact information to request residential control service for biting mosquitoes, visit https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/fish-wildlife/mosquito-control/.
For more information on West Nile Virus, visit https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/epi/wnv.html.
For more information on what you can do to prevent West Nile Virus, visit the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention’s website, www.cdc.gov/westnile/prevention/index.html.
