GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kent County Health Department says the first confirmed human case of West Nile virus has resulted in that person’s death.
Details on the victim, including their age, gender, and where they are from, have not been released.
Health officials did say mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus were captured in mosquito traps in an area just 3,000 feet from where the victim lived.
West Nile virus is the most common disease carried by mosquitoes, and there is no virus for it. Most people who get infected with it don’t develop any symptoms.
One in five, however, experience flu-like symptoms and one in every 150 become severely ill with central nervous system impacts up to death.
Health experts recommend using insect repellent containing at least 10% DEET, wearing long sleeves and long pants, staying inside at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active, and making sure any bodies of standing water near the home are drained.
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