Carbon County reports first human case of West Nile virus
By Simone Seikaly | August 29, 2019 at 4:19 pm
UPDATED: August 29, 2019 at 4:35 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Carbon County officials have reported the county's first human case of West Nile virus (WNV) this year. Though three other cases of West Nile virus exist among people that live in Carbon County, they did not contract the virus there.
The Southeast Utah Health Department says the affected person is an adult that lives in Carbon County. No other information is available, other than that the individual did not contract the neuroinvasive form of WNV.
As of August 24, 2019, the Utah Department of Health reported 4 confirmed human cases of West Nile virus. Other cases have been reported in the Department's Southwest, Southeast, Salt Lake and TriCounty health districts.
Most people who are bitten by a WNV-infected mosquito will not come down with the disease. If they do, the Southeast Utah Health Department says they will feel mild to severe flu-like symptoms. Those include muscle aches, fever, rash, and headache that has the potential to last for months.
Those people at greatest risk of contracting WNV have weakened immune systems, diabetes, high blood pressure, or kidney disease. The elderly are at greatest risk, the Department reports. The four people who contracted West Nile Virus before the announcement from Carbon County are all between the ages of 40 and 65.