On Wednesday, August 9, Panhandle Public Health District reported and is investigating numerous cases of the West Nile virus in humans. According to PPHD Environmental Health Coordinator, Melissa Haas, in an interview with KNEB, six people have tested positive with four residing in Scottsbluff County. This report comes just days after Nebraska Health and Human Services reported a much larger number of positive-testing mosquito pools statewide: https://chadronradio.com/way-more-positive-west-nile-tests-than-usual-in-nebraska-mosquito-pools/
The virus is transmitted to mosquitoes after they’ve fed from birds carrying the disease, which can then be transferred to humans as well.
West Nile holds similar characteristics to the flu. Those affected may have nausea, vomiting, gland swelling, or even skin rashes. And like the flu and other illnesses, those over age 50 or with compromised immune systems are more at risk for developing more severe cases of West Nile.
Still, these serious cases are rare- only about 80% of West Nile carriers will show symptoms and less than 1% of those will develop serious symptoms that can attack the nervous system.
However, precautions can still be taken to avoid these outcomes. Panhandle Public Health suggests using insect repellent, wearing clothing that will cover skin while outdoors, refraining from outdoor activities at dawn and dusk, and reducing the number of nearby standing water areas as these can become breeding grounds for the pests.