For Immediate Release:

September 22, 2003

Contact:

Dr. Howard Pue, or

Karen Yates

Section for Communicable Disease Prevention

573-751-6113

Missouri Reports Second Death Related to West Nile Virus

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) today announced a second death related to the West Nile virus (WNV). The case was an 83-year-old female from St. Louis County. As of September 19, Missouri has had 28 verified WNV cases, including the two deaths.

“Our condolences go out to the families and loved-ones of these two people,” said Dr. Howard Pue, state public health veterinarian. “But we also hope that by announcing these deaths we can get people’s attention and help prevent other WNV illness and death. Our message is that, even though it is getting cooler, the WNV season is not over and people should continue taking precautions to prevent WNV infection.”

Pue said that the cooler weather has also brought more rain across much of the state, increasing areas of standing water where mosquitoes breed and multiply. He said the cooler weather may slow the mosquitoes’ breeding activities, but only a prolonged period of cold temperatures will effectively reduce mosquito activity.

“People need to realize that we’re not out of the woods yet with WNV. Many of our cases last year became infected in September, with our last 2002 case becoming ill in mid-October,” said Pue. “In fact, nearly 40 percent of our cases occurred last year between this date and the end of the season. We still have at least another month of WNV risk, and maybe longer if temperatures stay moderate and we continue getting rain. So people need to continue following the very simple precautions that are so vital to preventing WNV infection.”

Although the majority of people who are infected with the WNV do not develop any symptoms, the disease can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, in a small number of individuals. This can result in permanent complications such as paralysis, or even death. People over 50 years of age tend to be more seriously affected by this disease, but anyone can develop encephalitis. Younger individuals tend to contract the less serious form of infection, known as West Nile fever. Symptoms are flu-like and include fever, headache, and body aches. These symptoms may persist for days, weeks, or even months, and can be so debilitating that individuals miss significant amounts of work.

For more information on mosquito-borne diseases, contact your local health department or DHSS at 1-866-628-9891. Additional information may be obtained by visiting DHSS’s web site at http://www.dhss.state.mo.us/WestNileVirus/index.html.

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