Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare has confirmed the state’s first human case of West Nile virus of 2014. A Blaine County woman in her 20s is recovering from a virus-induced fever. Eight other Idaho counties have found West Nile in mosquitoes this summer, but the Blaine County case is the first confirmed human infection.
Last year, 40 known people in Idaho contracted West Nile and two died. A 2006 outbreak saw nearly 1,000 cases and 23 deaths in Idaho.
West Nile symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or skin rash. It is especially dangerous to people over 50.
Health and Welfare officials are concerned that rain in some parts of Idaho, coupled with continuing heat will increase the number of mosquitos that carry the disease. They caution people to use insect repellant, wear clothes that cover most skin when outdoors, and reduce standing water on their property.
Copyright 2014 Boise State Public Radio