[ad_1]
The death of a 62-year-old Bergen County man was caused by West Nile virus, the first fatal case confirmed this year in New Jersey as a result of a mosquito-borne disease .
While state officials have quoted the man well, Fred Maikisch's 62-year-old family from Lodi has already stated that his death on September 15 was a West Nile affair.
"Many of his vital organs have been affected by this virus," wrote his sister Terry on Facebook on September 7.
Maikisch was an IKEA furniture salesman, married with two children. He was hospitalized for a week before dying, said his family.
Maikisch's family said the doctors had diagnosed him with West Nile virus, although Lodi and state officials said they needed time to investigate before they could make that decision.
The New Jersey Department of Health has concluded that the death of Bergen County was due to West Nile virus in a report released on Thursday.
The report says that 25 human cases of West Nile virus have been reported in 15 New Jersey counties so far this year. There have been six cases of West Nile in Bergen County – the highest of all counties in the state.
Listen to NJ.com on Alexa or via a daily podcast
Patients are between 24 and 85 years old and required an average hospital stay of 11 days, according to public health officials.
Eight more reports of people with the virus are being investigated, state officials said.
In 2017, eight cases of West Nile virus were reported in New Jersey and two people died of the virus.
From 2000 to 2017, New Jersey experienced 252 cases of West Nile and 24 deaths. The worst year was 2012, with 48 cases and six deaths.
West Nile Case for 2018 by County:
Anthony G. Attrino can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
[ad_2]
Source link
