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First West Nile death reported
by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
September 10, 2003

West Nile virus is a member of the flavivirus group, viruses spread by insects and known to cause disease in humans and animals. (Courtesy of the National Institutes of Health)

The Minnesota Health Department is reporting the state's first death from the West Nile virus. The department says the death occurred in northwest Minnesota. The mosquito-borne disease was first diagnosed in Minnesota in July 2002. Health officials say it's the peak period for reporting West Nile-related illnesses, so they expect more cases in the coming weeks.

St. Paul, Minn. — The Health Department says a Clay County man in his 70s is the first Minnesotan to die from the mosquito-borne illness. The department's Kirk Smith says the death is the 31st human case of West Nile this year. Forty-eight cases were reported last year. The Health Department isn't releasing the man's name, but Smith says he was at higher risk than the general population.

"He has a pre-existing brain condition that probably made him more prone to the severest form of West Nile virus infection and he became ill in late August and was in the hospital for a number of days and died recently," he said.

As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta says there have been 53 West Nile deaths nationwide this year. The CDC reports that there have been nearly 2,900 West Nile reported illnesses this year to date.

The illness originated in Africa and was first reported in the Western Hemisphere in 1999. The first cases were found in New York and it has been slowly spreading across the United States. Mosquitoes carry the virus after feeding on infected birds. Infected mosquitoes then transfer the disease to other animals, most notably humans and horses.

Smith says late August and September are peak seasons for West Nile virus activity because older mosquitoes have been feeding a variety of animals. He says he expects to see more West Nile cases in the coming weeks.

"We will hear about numerous more cases, this week, next week, the week after just because there's a lag time in reporting cases to us. So people who became sick the last week in August, we may not hear about until later this week or next week or the week after," according to Smith.

Smith says most people don't get sick after being bitten from an infected mosquito. He says some report flu-like symptoms and few are hospitalized. Smith says, however, that people -- most importantly the elderly and those with weak immune systems -- should protect themselves from mosquito bites. He says people should wear long-sleeved shirts and pants and wear repellant with DEET. He says people should also avoid going outside during dusk and dawn, which are peak mosquito times.

Officials with Clay County Public Health did not return calls for this report. The county's Web site says it does not have a mosquito control program abatement program at this time. The city of Moorhead, which is in Clay County, is in a partnership with Fargo and Dilworth to spray for the insects.

Chad Martin, the director of operations for the city of Moorhead, says they haven't been spaying for mosquitoes in a few weeks because of dry conditions. He says there have been no plans to increase spraying this year but have plans to increase mosquito control next year.

"We have a set threshold that the city has set of 85 biting females in an evening for three days in a row before we go out and spray. That's been our benchmark for multiple years, but with West Nile at this time we're going to probably lower that and become more agressive to keep the numbers minimized," Martin says.

There are currently no efforts to increase spraying in the Twin Cities. Jim Stark, with the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, says dry conditions have helped in their efforts to control the mosquito population. He says, however, that they're watching the situation closely.

"We're surveying on a daily basis and if we have any indication of disease activity we'll respond to that and we'll do spraying if there's a need," Stark says.

Stark says they'll continue monitoring the mosquito population until the first hard frost. He says that should kill most of the insects until next year.

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