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The first reported case of West Nile virus this year may be related to Campbell County, according to the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) release on June 11. The Campbell County woman contracted the first known human case in the state as well as the most serious, neuroinvasive form of the disease, with symptoms ranging from severe headaches, fever, disorientation, coma, seizures and paralysis.
According to Kim Deti, public information officer at the WDH, she would have contracted with her locally, marking the start of the season.
WDH officials say they will not see the first cases reported until late July or August.
"The people of Wyoming should take steps to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites," said Clay Van Houten, head of the infectious disease epidemiology unit at WDH, in the statement.
Mosquitoes spread West Nile Virus (WNV) when they feed on infected birds, then bite people, animals or other birds. According to Deti, the virus can not be transmitted between humans.
Although early, this first case is not necessarily an omen of things to come.
"We do not think this early affair necessarily means that we are in a difficult season," Van Houten said, but we want people to know that they have to protect themselves. "
In 2018, the WDH documented four cases of WNV in Wyoming, including one death in Goshen County. Since the virus reached Wyoming for the first time in 2002, the number of reported human cases has varied significantly from year to year.
"We expect many people with WNV to go undetected, which makes it difficult to know the exact number of cases," Van Houten said.
It is sometimes difficult to detect, he added, because most people infected with WNV do not have symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, rashes and swollen lymph nodes. It is even more rare, he said, that people develop the most serious neuroinvasive symptoms.
Mosquitoes are most active in the morning and evening, and residents are encouraged to cover bare skin, wear shoes and use an insect repellent containing DEET.
For more information on WNV in Wyoming, see https://health.wyo.gov/publichealth/infectious-disease-epidemiology-unit/west-nile-virus/
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