The Southern Nevada Health District is reporting a case of West Nile virus in a male over the age of 50 with the more serious neuroinvasive form of the illness. This is the first human case of West Nile illness in Clark County in 2014. There were nine cases reported in 2013.
Image/CDC
West Nile virus can be prevented by using insect repellents and eliminating sources of standing water, which support mosquito breeding.
West Nile virus is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes, which acquire the virus by feeding on infected birds. The illness is not spread person to person. Many people with the virus will have no symptoms or very mild clinical symptoms of illness. Mild symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach, and back. In some cases the virus can cause severe illness and even death.
The health district’s environmental health specialists routinely survey known breeding sources for mosquitoes and trap them for identification and disease analysis. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
