Colorado doctors warning of West Nile virus, after state saw biggest outbreak in the country last year | CPT PPP Coverage
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Colorado doctors warning of West Nile virus, after state saw biggest outbreak in the country last year appeared on www.kktv.com by Kasia Kerridge.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Coloradans, be aware of mosquitos! Colorado doctors are warning of the West Nile virus, after the state saw the biggest outbreak in the country last year.
According to the CDC, the West Nile virus is most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. 11 News spoke with UCHealth, who says mosquitos get the virus from birds.
“It’s named after the West Nile region in Uganda where it was first identified. In 1999, we noticed around the New York City area a lot of birds and a lot of people were becoming sick,” said Dr. Daniel Pastula, UCHealth Chief of neuro-infectious diseases and global neurology. “There’s actually a setup along the great plains, front range and down into Texas, south through Arizona. In the last many years, last decade, that’s where we see most of our West Nile virus cases.”
The CDC reports Colorado had over 600 cases of the virus in 2023 with 50 deaths, which UCHealth says was one of the deadliest years for West Nile in the state since the mosquito-borne illness arrived in the country.
“Last year we saw this big spike of West Nile… it’s probably that complex interplay between the amount of rain we had, how birds migrate, how bird immunity may wane over time or just the amount of mosquitos,” said Pastula. “Mosquitos have evolved to be parasitic on humans and basically drink our blood, they’re literally blood-sucking parasites… They’ve had millions of years of evolution to do that. As part of that, they can transmit disease. Mosquitos are something to be taken seriously.”
West Nile virus season typically starts in late July in Colorado, and lasts until the first hard freeze. There are currently no vaccines or medicine to treat the virus. However, health officials say fortunately, most people who get it, don’t get sick. Those who do have symptoms should look out for flu-like illness, fever, rash or fatigue, especially in the summer months.
“Use your insect repellent, avoid going out at dusk and dawn, wearing long pants, long sleeves if possible, using air conditioning or window screens to keep mosquitos outside,” said Pastula. “We are able, with appropriate public health funding and logistical support that we can detect these spikes before they are going to affect humans, so we can prepare with a couple of weeks lead time.”
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