West Nile virus claims first NC victim this season

A person in southeastern North Carolina died last week from a West Nile virus infection, according to state health officials.

This is the state’s first confirmed death this year from the mosquito-borne illness.

According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, the person who died was an adult, but the agency provided no further details to protect confidentiality.

“These infections are rare, but this is a tragic reminder that they can be fatal,” said Carl Williams, the state’s Public Health veterinarian, in a statement. “We see most cases of West Nile virus from July through November.”

Most people infected with the virus experience no symptoms or only very mild ones, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Others — about 20 percent, the CDC reports — will get symptoms such as head and body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash.

In rare cases, the virus can affect the central nervous system and cause encephalitis or meningitis. That happens in about 1 percent of the cases, according to the CDC.

In North Carolina between 2012 and 2017, 25 people had the virus affect their central nervous system. Seven of them died, according to a statement from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

Your best protection is to keep mosquitoes at bay by using EPA-approved repellants, cutting back bushes and grassy areas around your home, and emptying any containers with standing water at least once a week.

West Nile virus is most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito, according to the CDC. Mosquitoes catch the virus by biting infected birds, then spread it to humans by biting people. People cannot spread the virus through coughs or touch, nor can they get it from eating infected animals.

Since West Nile virus was discovered in the United States in 1999, it has spread to all 48 contiguous states, according to the CDC.

North Carolina first reported West Nile virus in two people in 2002 and the first death from the infection in 2003, according to CDC data. During that time, 48 people have died from the infection in North Carolina through 2016.

This story was originally published July 20, 2018 at 1:23 PM.