Wednesday, July 29, 2015
COLUMBUS — Ohio’s first two human cases of West Nile virus in 2015 have been reported in a 34-year-old Cuyahoga County man with a fever and a 77-year-old Hamilton County man with encephalitis, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Ohio reported 11 human cases of West Nile virus in 2014.
The primary way people get West Nile virus is through the bite of an infected mosquito.
Most people who become infected with West Nile virus do not have any symptoms; about one in five develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash; and less than one percent develop a serious neurologic illness, such as encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues).
“Ohioans should take reasonable precautions to avoid mosquito bites and eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites,” said id ODH Medical Director Dr. Mary DiOrio.