By Staff
ST. JOSEPH - Berrien County Health Department confirmed the first human case of West Nile infection in Berrien County this year on Thursday.
The patient is a 21-year-old male who was exposed to infected mosquitoes in the Niles area. The last confirmed human West Nile case in Berrien County was in 2002.
There have been 22 human cases of West Nile Virus confirmed in the sate of Michigan as of Sept. 28, 2005.
Especially susceptible to West Niles virus infection are crows and blue jays (Corvids).
Currently the Center for Disease Control reports 1,804 cases nationally and 52 deaths. This time last year, Berrien County had no human cases reported and four birds tested positive for the West Nile Virus, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health.
Residents are encouraged to:
Apply insect repellent to exposed skin or clothing that contains the active ingredient DEET.
Maintain window and door screening to help keep mosquitoes out of buildings.
Drain puddles in yard, emptying water from mosquito breeding sites such as buckets, old tires, or similar places mosquitoes can lay eggs.
Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active (dusk and dawn).
Wear light colored long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.
Symptoms of the West Nile Virus, which are comparable to encephalitis and meningitis, include fever, headache, stiff neck, weakness and confusion. Doctors say those displaying such symptoms three to 15 days after being bitten by a mosquito should seek medical attention.
About one in five people infected with the virus will have a mild illness with fever, headache and body aches, sometimes with a skin rash and swollen lymph glands. Only one in 150 infected will have encephalitis and meningitis.
The Berrien County Health Department has confirmed three birds having West Nile Virus in the zip codes 49085 (St. Joseph), 49022 (Benton Harbor) and 49084 (Riverside).
A person finding a blue jay or crow that is sick or has just died is to report them on line at: www.michigandnr.com/diseasewildlifereporting/diseasereprot.asp.
People without the Internet can call the state's toll-free West Niles Virus hotline at 1-888-668-0869.