Print
E-mail
Share
digg
Newsvine
Facebook
Stumble
Technorati
reddit
Fark
twitterSouthern Nevada reports first case of West Nile virus
Wednesday, July 1, 2009 | 10:05 a.m.
Sun Coverage
Clark County's first probable human case of West Nile virus this year is being reported this morning, Southern Nevada Health District officials said.
The patient, a 61-year-old woman, contracted West Nile fever, a mild form of the illness.
The Clark County case is considered probable because testing to confirm cases of West Nile virus can take months to complete.
West Nile virus is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes, which get the virus by feeding on infected birds. The illness is not spread from person to person.
In 2008 Nevada reported a total of 16 human cases of West Nile virus, according to the Nevada Division of Health.
In a parallel program to surveying human cases, the health district reported West Nile virus in a cluster of mosquitoes in the 89119 Zip code, which is north of McCarran International Airport, west of Eastern Avenue and south of Tropicana Avenue.
The health district's environmental health specialists routinely survey and treat known breeding sources for mosquitoes and trap them for identification throughout the Las Vegas Valley. In addition, the insects are tested for West Nile virus, Western equine encephalitis and St. Louis encephalitis.
People can protect themselves from mosquito bites by applying insect repellent before going outside, especially around dawn or dusk. Repellents containing DEET work best as well as those containing picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus. However, DEET is the most effective repellent available, health officials said.
When outdoors, wear pants and long-sleeved shirts and eliminate standing water, including bird baths, "green" swimming pools and sprinkler runoff, which help mosquitoes breeding.
To report mosquito activity, stagnant swimming pools or stagnant water sources, call the mosquito control hot line at 759-1220.
Spotlight
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas to close in May
- Pricey land buy on Strip a bit of a surprise
- Engineering marvel taking shape near Hoover Dam
- Harry Reid’s co-writer unloads while discussing polls, Obama quote
- Grim numbers show Nevada leads nation in suicides over 60
- Police: Legal runner returned to home, shot husband and wife
- UNLV back in the polls: No. 23 in AP, No. 25 in ESPN/USA Today
- MGM Mirage to leave N.J. in dispute over Macau partner
- The 10 best steakhouses in Las Vegas
- GOP should blame itself for deficit, not Democrats
Blogs
Shark Bytes
Willis reminds me of another great UNLV guard (4 Comments)
Elsewhere
With aggressive push, Internet gambling again in play
The Kats Report
A very quick list of which females could replace Steven Tyler in Aerosmith (13 Comments)
A 3.5-day sprint, highlighted superflously at Flamingo with Las Vegas newcomers
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Horsford: No taxes now, but tax reform later (14 Comments)
Gibbons: Cutting the budget can help me raise money (11 Comments)
Gibbons: Lawmakers made State of State worse with taxes (5 Comments)
Calendar »
- 9 Tue
- 10 Wed
- 11 Thu
- 12 Fri
- 13 Sat
-
Far East Movement at Blush
Blush Boutique Nightclub | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Benji Madden at Moon
Moon Nightclub | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Hugh Fink at the Riviera Comedy Club
The Riviera Comedy Club
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.
If you would like to submit your comment as a letter to the editor, you may submit it here.