Dayton Area Man May Have West Nile

A Darke County resident’s suspected case of West Nile virus would be one of the first in the country if lab tests confirm he has the mosquito-borne disease.

"It looked like West Nile, but it’s not absolutely confirmed yet," said Dr. Grant Starrett, infectious disease specialist at Good Samaritan Hospital, where the patient was hospitalized from June 16 to 24.

Only seven U.S. cases had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through Tuesday. None were before June 20 or east of Missouri.

"That’s a good sign," Starrett said Thursday. "Maybe that shows that the virus is kind of burning itself out."

In Ohio, West Nile cases declined sharply from 441 in 2002 to last year, when 12 cases were either confirmed or deemed probable without testing. Deaths dropped from 31 to two.

Only about 20 percent of people bitten by infected mosquitoes develop mild West Nile symptoms such as fever, aches, nausea and vomiting, according to the CDC. Even then, the infection becomes more serious for only about one in 150 people.

"We want to decrease the anxiety and increase the awareness," said Jodi Hartzell, an infectious disease nurse with the Darke County General Health District.

"We want people to focus on how they can protect themselves from mosquito bites."

People get West Nile from being bitten by infected mosquitoes, which acquire the virus by biting infected birds. So prevention tips fall into two categories — avoiding mosquitoes and making it harder for them to breed.

Anyone who keeps standing water away his or her property is ahead on both counts, said Bill Wharton of Montgomery County’s Combined Health District.

Contact Kevin Lamb at 225-2129.