The Central District Health Department reports that two deaths in the three-county district this month were due to West Nile Virus (WNV) infections, with an additional nine cases of WNV confirmed. The Central District consists of Hall, Hamilton and Merrick counties. In the last five years, Nebraska has seen an average of six WNV deaths per year.
WNV circulates in the environment between mosquitoes (primarily Culex species) and birds. People become infected with the virus when mosquitoes feed on infected birds and then bite people. People are considered dead-end hosts because unlike birds, they do not develop high enough levels of virus in their bloodstream and cannot pass the virus on to other biting mosquitoes.
The virus is rarely transmitted from person-to-person by blood transfusion, organ transplantation, and mother to baby, during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding. Because WNV can be transmitted through blood and organ transplantation, persons who were recently diagnosed with West Nile Virus infection should not donate blood or bone marrow for 120 days following infection. There are no vaccines to prevent or medicines to treat WNV in people.
Fortunately, most people infected with WNV do not feel sick. 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.
Reduce your risk of WNV by preventing mosquito bites: — When you are outdoors, use insect repellent containing an E.