West Nile case hints at others, experts say

The only Hillsborough victim has recovered, but undiagnosed cases could be dismissed as the flu.

By TAMARA LUSH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 4, 2002

TAMPA -- Although a 49-year-old woman was recently diagnosed with Hillsborough's first official human case of West Nile virus, health experts say it is likely others have contracted the illness without knowing it.

Symptoms of the mosquito-borne virus include headache, fever, fatigue, dizziness, weakness and confusion -- in other words, common flu-like symptoms.

"With this disease, there could be a number of people who actually had it and thought they had a bad cold or a flu," said Bill Parizek, spokesman for the Florida Department of Health.

In the sick, elderly or very young, West Nile virus can cause encephalitis, a swelling of the brain that can lead to brain damage or death.

The only way to diagnose West Nile is through a serum or cerebrospinal fluid sample. Doctors should perform those tests if they believe a patient has the illness, Parizek said.

That test was used to diagnose the Hillsborough victim's illness. She has since fully recovered, said Jylmarie Kintz, epidemiologist at the Hillsborough County Health Department.

The woman went to her doctor with the flu-like symptoms in August, Kintz said. She was tested for a mosquito-borne illness in October.

Through tests and interviews, experts determined that the woman contracted the illness from a mosquito in Hillsborough County, where she lives.

There have been 25 cases of human West Nile virus in Florida this year. Last year -- the first year that West Nile was detected in humans in Florida -- 12 people were diagnosed with the illness. No one has died from the disease in Florida.

Other states have not fared so well: There have been 3,700 human cases nationwide with 214 deaths this year.

West Nile has been found in hundreds of wild birds, horses and sentinel chickens across Florida. Sentinel chickens -- birds kept solely to alert health officials to mosquito-borne diseases -- have contracted West Nile in Pinellas and Hillsborough.

Thirty-nine counties, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Citrus and Hernando, are under medical alert for the virus.

Parizek said Florida's mosquito control efforts and the public health awareness campaign may have kept down the number of human cases.

To avoid West Nile, it is essential to avoid mosquito bites, experts say.

They recommend getting rid of stagnant water in bird baths, ponds and bins so mosquitoes won't have a place to breed.

Experts advise against outdoor activities at dusk or dawn when mosquitoes are most active.

Also, if you must be outside, wear socks, long sleeves and long pants. Adults and infants more than 2 months old should wear mosquito repellent containing DEET.

"People should never be worried about this," said Lillian Stark, a virologist with the Florida Department of Health. "They should use good sense (and) take the precautions that have been given over and over about avoiding mosquito bites."

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