A 78-year-old La Mesa man has died from West Nile virus, the first death from the illness San Diego County has seen since 2007.
On Oct.6, the man checked into the hospital for symptoms of encephalitis, a brain inflammation that can be cause by a viral or bacterial infection, according to the county Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA).
The man died four days later, and a California Department of Public Health (CDPH) confirmed Friday he had West Nile virus.
The victim is counted as the seventh confirmed case in the county this year, while three more patients with suspected West Nile infections are being investigation.
Of those three, one was a recent blood donor who showed no symptoms, and the other two have recovered from mild sicknesses.
Mosquitoes are the little culprits that carry the potentially deadly virus, so the county’s Department of Environmental Health Vector Control inspected the areas were the most recent human cases were reported to check for potential mosquito breeding. County workers have also set up traps around their homes and notified neighbors.
This year has seen an uptick in West Nile cases, for only two human instances were reported in San Diego from 2009 to 2013. However, 2014 has not reached the levels of 2008, when 36 cases were reported.
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The HHSA says 80 percent of people who become infected will show no symptoms, but the risk of complications rises for those over 50 years old and people with weakened immune systems.
Those who do have symptoms have headaches, fevers, nausea, fatigue, skin rashes and swollen glands.
California has seen its highest numbers of West Nile in a decade. According to the CDPH, the state has had 608 human cases this year and 20 deaths – the highest number since 2005’s 880 cases.
For more on how to prevent mosquitoes from congregating in your neighborhood, visit the county’s website.
