Broward resident contracts West Nile

First county infection since 2012, health department says

A Broward County resident has contracted West Nile virus in what health officials say is the first locally acquired case in Broward County since 2012.

The infection was reported Tuesday in a tweet from the Florida Department of Health’s Broward County office, which also said that the source of the infection was not clear.

“This is our first case since 2012,” said Candy Sims, a spokeswoman for the health department, on Tuesday.

Sims said she couldn’t provide specifics as to where in Broward the infected person lives, or if their infection has resulted in mild or serious symptoms or hospitalization.

West Nile is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, but it rarely leads to serious, life-threatening complications.

“Fortunately, most people infected with WNV do not feel sick,” says the CDC’s web site. “About 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms. About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.”

So far in 2020, 26 cases of West Nile have been confirmed in Miami-Dade, according to the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County.

A locally acquired West Nile case was confirmed in Palm Beach County last week, according to Sun Sentinel news partner WPECCh. 12, the first case in the county since 2018.

Health officials were urging residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites by covering up and wearing repellent and also by keeping their homes and businesses clear of standing water, where mosquitoes breed.