Aug 23, 2007 4:43 pm US/Eastern
Human Case Of West Nile Virus Reported In Mass.
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
For the first time this year, a person has been diagnosed with West Nile Virus in Massachusetts.
The Department of Public Health said an 81-year-old man from Missouri is being treated for the disease.
The man is a Missouri resident who traveled from Missouri to Martha's Vineyard on August 5 and became ill six days later. Officials said his condition is improving.
Authorities believe he was most likely exposed to the virus in Missouri where five human cases have been reported this year.
But health officials are not ruling out the possibility that he was exposed in Massachusetts.
"This might be a Missouri case, but right now is the peak time for West Nile virus and triple E, so we need to make sure people are paying attention," said Dr Alfred DeMaria of the Department of Public Health.
There have been no mosquito pools found on the Vineyard this summer, according to the DPH
web site.
A bird in Marlborough tested positive for the disease last month. Three human cases were reported last year in Massachusetts but none were fatal.
Symptoms of the insect-borne virus range from mild flu-like illness to inflammation of the brain, coma and even death.
Officials advise people to avoid outdoor activities during peak mosquito times, which are dusk and dawn.
DeMaria said people can reduce their risk of getting infected by getting rid of standing water around their homes because people are most likely to get bit by a mosquito in their own neighborhoods.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
West Nile Virus Fact Sheet
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