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The death of West Nile virus was reported last week in Missouri? It turns out that it was in Jackson County.
Officials from the Missouri Department of Health and senior services said on Wednesday that they made a mistake last week by telling the media that the first death of West Nile virus in 2018 took place in the eastern region.
"It had been said, and others had been informed, that the death had occurred in St. Louis," said department director Randall Williams, "and as we posted it online today, this patient is actually resident of Jackson County.
Williams said that communication problems within the department's chain of command led to this error and that changes were made to prevent it from happening again.
The mistake came at a time when the ministry was refusing to locate West Nile cases – information that was available in recent years – in its regular online reports.
Williams said the department was trying to be consistent with its reports of other mosquito-borne diseases acquired by Missourians while traveling outside the state.
But after further examination, his department decided that West Nile should continue to be reported by county or region, as it can be passed to humans by Missouri mosquitoes.
According to the latest data, there have been 12 cases of West Nile disease this year in Missouri. Ten were held in the city of St. Louis or St. Louis County, one in Jackson County and one in Boone County.
The deceased West Nile in Jackson County contracted her in August, according to the state.
Death in Jackson County means that there have been at least three serious West Nile virus infections in the Kansas City metropolitan area this year.
Two residents of Johnson County have developed severe brain infections due to the virus earlier this summer, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Kansas has recorded two less serious cases among residents of Douglas County, which includes Lawrence, and the County of the Republic north of Salina.
Last week, Kansas reported no deaths from West Nile.
Most West Nile infections are not serious. Only about one in every 150 people is the neuro-invasive form of the disease that both residents of Johnson County face.
Protective tips include wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts on the outside, using insect repellents with DEET and stagnant water drainage where mosquitoes like to breed.
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