The Iowa Department of Public Health has confirmed the first case of West Nile virus in Iowa this year.
Deputy State Epidemiologist, Ann Garvey, says an adult female 18 to 40 years of age from Ringgold County is recovering from West Nile. The disease is spread by mosquitoes.
Doctor Garvey recommends to take precautions to keep from getting bitten, like wearing clothing that covers your skin when you are outdoors to both avoid mosquito bites and keep ticks from attaching to you. Ticks are a concern because they carry Lyme disease, and there have been 111 cases of Lyme disease reported so far this year.
West Nile was first diagnosed in a human in Iowa in 2002, and after peaking, the cases dropped off.
Garvey says the number of cases fluctuates every year, but the disease is here every year and that’s why it is important to take the precautions. Approximately 20 percent of people infected with West Nile virus will have mild to moderate symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches and vomiting. Less than one percent of people infected become seriously ill and rarely someone dies.
The last West Nile death in Iowa came in 2011, when there were nine confirmed cases and two deaths.
