West Nile Virus Infects Shaker Heights Resident

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — A Shaker Heights resident has been diagnosed with West Nile Virus, the city announced on Tuesday. The condition of the resident is unknown at this time.

The first case of West Nile Virus in Ohio this year was discovered on July 23. By late July 2018, 20 Ohio counties had reported West Nile virus activity in mosquitoes. In early August, a Lake County man was hospitalized with the virus. Now, West Nile has arrived in Shaker Heights.

The disease is most often transmitted between May and October, the Ohio Department of Health said in a press release. Mosquito activity peaks between late July and early September. That means this is the most dangerous time of the year, in terms of West Nile Virus activity.

West Nile Virus is most often transferred through a mosquito bite. Luckily, the majority of people bitten by a mosquito with the disease will have no symptoms. About one in five people will get flu-like symptoms; headaches, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or possibly rashes. Less than 1 percent of people will develop a serious neurologic illness, like encephalitis or meningitis.

While there are no medications to treat or prevent West Nile, the Ohio Department of Health said, there are steps residents can take to decrease their exposure to mosquitoes. These include (as we previously reported):

• Use an EPA-registered insect repellent
• Cover as much skin as you can with clothes. Wear long sleeves, long pants and long socks when outdoors.
• Spray thin clothes with insect repellent
• Treat clothing or gear with a product containing permethrin. Don't apply permethrin directly to your skin.
• Install window screens to keep mosquitoes out of your home
• Empty standing water on a regular basis. That means draining flowerpots, gutters, buckets, pool covers, etc.

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health did not immediately return Patch's request for comment.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. And like Patch on Facebook!)

Photo from Shutterstock