West Nile appearing earlier

By Wally Kennedy

JOPLIN, Mo. — West Nile virus has surfaced earlier this season, health officials are warning.

A rural Joplin man could be recorded as having Missouri's first case of West Nile virus this year.

Tony Moehr, director of the Jasper County Health Department, said a medical test performed locally and a test by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services suggest that the man’s illness was caused by the virus, but additional tests are needed to confirm it.

“It’s still considered a probable case,” Moehr said.

On Tuesday, the department and the Joplin Health Department issued a statement to area residents that the virus, which is carried by mosquitoes, is active in the region and appears to have emerged earlier this season than in previous years.

The county health department has been notified of two positive West Nile virus tests for birds in the Carthage and Joplin areas.

Human cases are most common in late summer and early fall.

Though the activity has been confirmed, health officials stress that residents should not be overly concerned about the risk of illness. Fewer than 1 percent of those infected with the virus develop severe illness.

Last year in Missouri, there were 30 confirmed human cases of the virus and three deaths. Across the state, 61 birds and 19 horses tested positive for the virus. So far in 2006, officials have recorded the probable human case in Jasper County, 50 positive birds covering 23 counties, and three positive horses.

Kansas in July had its first human death attributed to West Nile virus. That was in the northeast part of the state. Three other nonfatal cases have been confirmed this year, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. In 2005, the KDHE confirmed 25 human cases and one death.

West Nile virus can be spread to people by mosquitoes that first bite an infected bird, but it is not contagious from person to person or directly from birds.

The virus has been active in the Joplin area for at least four years. Health departments track the emergence of the virus in the summer to remind residents to eliminate standing water to reduce mosquito populations.



Wally Kennedy writes for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.



West Nile symptoms

If you have been bitten by a mosquito, several symptoms may indicate West Nile virus infection. They are fever, headache, muscle aches, skin rash and swollen lymph glands.

More severe symptoms, which could indicate West Nile virus encephalitis, are severe headache, stiff neck, stupor, disorientation, convulsions and paralysis.

If you experience these symptoms, consult your doctor as soon as possible.





What you can do to protect yourself

Eliminate standing water in your yard. Mosquitoes need water to multiply.

Unclog roof gutters.

Empty unused swimming pools or add chlorine.

Change water in birdbaths and pet dishes.

Remove old tires, unused containers and flower pots.

Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.

Apply insect repellents with DEET or Picaridin.

Avoid being outside at dawn or in the evening, when mosquitoes are most active.



Source: Jasper County Health Department

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