Area woman dies from West Nile

By William Lundquist - Argus Observer
Wednesday, October 3, 2007 12:20 PM PDT

Payette - A Payette County woman in her 70s is the first to die from the West Nile virus in Idaho this year, according to a press release issued Tuesday from Southwest District Health.

The district’s public information officer, Laurie Boston, declined to release specifics about the victim, such as contributing health factors or where she may have been bitten by the virus-carrying mosquito.

Boston said the elderly, the very young and those with compromised immune systems are at greater risk of dying from the virus than the general population, but she advised everyone to take precautions against being bitten.

Southwest District Health family health services division Administrator Jan Edmonds said West Nile can have serious consequences.

“And it saddens us even more when it results in death,” Edmonds said.

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About 20 percent of people bitten by mosquitoes may become infected with West Nile fever, she said. Those people may become seriously ill with fever, headaches, body aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash.

One of 150 people infected may develop more severe infections, she said, marked by the rapid onset of a high fever, headache, body aches, disorientation, tremors, and even paralysis or death.

There were fewer West Nile virus deaths this year in Idaho, Boston said. Last year, 23 people in Idaho died of the disease, but only a single death has occurred this year.

Statewide, Idaho has had 103 reported cases of West Nile this year, with Southwest District Health accounting for 43 of those.

The mosquitoes that carry the disease, Boston said, are most active from dusk to dawn. They breed within four days in standing water, such as in swampy areas or flat, wetland by rivers. People should make sure water does not collect in old tires and other items near their homes, said Boston.

Mosquito populations should soon dwindle, she said, and should disappear after the first freeze, except indoors.

Edmonds, however, cautioned, residents should still use caution regarding mosquitoes.

“In the midst of hunting season, and until the first freeze, we especially advise hunters to protect themselves against mosquito bites,” Edmonds said.

Those suspecting they may have been exposed to West Nile can contact their local health care provider or call Southwest District Health at (208) 455-5442.

Information is available from the district’s Web site, www.swdh.org, or by calling (877)-333-9681 or (208) 334-6500. The Idaho Office of Epidemiology and Food Protection also has information at www.westnile.idaho.gov.