Pinal County man is Arizona’s first West Nile virus case of 2014
The Pinal County Public Health Services District has reported the first human case of West Nile virus (WNV) in Arizona in a Casa Grande resident. The male patient is reportedly currently receiving medical care while recovering.
Image/CDC
Health officials say they usually don’t start seeing West Nile cases until early July calling this an early case. Last year, Arizona reported 62 WNV cases in 2013 with six fatalities. Pinal county recorded two cases.
WNV is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes are WNV carriers that become infected when they feed on infected birds. Infected mosquitoes can then spread WNV to humans and other animals when they bite. Rarely, WNV also has spread through transfusions, transplants, and mother-to-child.
Approximately 80 percent of people who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all. Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected will display mild symptoms, which appear 3-14 days after getting infected, and include fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms typically last a few days.
About one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness. The severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent. There is no specific treatment for WNV infection. Prevention is by avoiding mosquito bites and eliminating mosquito breeding sites. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
