Polk County resident dies after West Nile infection
Health officials remind the public that mosquito season lasts until the first hard freeze of the year, so precautions are still recommended.
Public Health officials have confirmed Georgia’s sixth West Nile virus death this year, an elderly Polk County resident with underlying health conditions that contributed to the death, and are reminding the public to take precautions to prevent the mosquito-borne disease.
“Even though we’re having cooler weather, it’s still mosquito season until our first hard freeze,” said Dr. Unini Odama, health director for the 10-county Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District. “People must be aware that West Nile is active throughout Georgia and must protect themselves and their loved ones from mosquito bites.”
The fatality in Polk is the second WNV death in the ten-county Northwest Health District in 2017.
The first was in August in Catoosa County. There have been at least 38 confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne disease in the state this year. Three have been in Northwest Georgia — one each in Catoosa, Floyd, and Polk counties.
“We’ve had just three confirmed WNV cases in Northwest Georgia this year,” Odama said. “But sadly two have resulted in death. The elderly, those with compromised immune systems, and those with other underlying medical conditions are at greater risk for complications from the disease, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen in all three cases.”
Most people get infected with WNV by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus to humans and other animals. There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat WNV.
Symptoms of WNV include headache, fever, neck discomfort, muscle and joint aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that usually develops three to 15 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
Fortunately, most people infected with WNV do not have symptoms. About one in five people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms. About one out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.