Fulton County Woman Diagnosed with West Nile Virus

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A 44-year-old woman from Fulton County was diagnosed with West Nile virus, the first human case in the county this year.

The Fulton Health Council announced the diagnosis late Wednesday afternoon. In a statement, the county said the diagnosis had been checked by a local hospital, without giving more information on the case.

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West Nile is a mosquito-borne disease that can cause illness or death. Elmer Gray, a public health specialist at the University of Georgia, said the virus could be particularly dangerous for sensitive people.

"It's really a concern," he said. "People must take precautions."

These precautions include wearing an insect repellent, long sleeves at night and loose clothing and light-colored daytime, he said. In a statement, the county recommended eliminating stagnant water in and around the house. The water accumulated in flower pots, or in areas as small as a bottle cap, can be a good breeding ground for mosquitoes, the statement said.

"Stagnant water is not good," Gray said. "Just be super diligent."

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He said the West Nile's peak season was August 15 to September 15 and was expected to see more people diagnosed in the coming days and weeks. The departmental health council said that many people infected with the disease showed no symptoms, but others had mild or flu-like symptoms, including headache, fever, nausea, vomiting swollen lymph nodes or rash. A small number of infected people can develop serious diseases, such as meningitis or encephalitis.

"It can be disabling, even for young people and healthy people," said Gray.

Mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been found in DeKalb and Fulton counties. They were also detected in Chatham County.

Only five counties in the state are testing the virus; the others are the counties of Lowndes and Glynn.

Last year, 34 people in Georgia were infected with the virus. A 90-year-old Dunwoody woman died of the disease.

Eli Jones, deputy director of Fulton Health, said earlier that the county had introduced chemicals into 8,700 water basins and over mouths with puddles to kill mosquito larvae before they ripen. Earlier this summer, mosquitoes at Frankie Allen Park near Buckhead were tested positive for West Nile virus.