Cicero, NY — An elderly Cicero man is recovering after being infected with the potentially deadly West Nile virus, county officials announced Wednesday morning.
The man began his recovery in a local hospital before returning home, officials said.
Spread by mosquitoes, West Nile can cause a brain disease that leads fever, headache, body ache, skin rash or swollen glands. People with severe cases have a sudden onset of headache, high fever, stiff neck, muscle weakness and altered mental status.
Severe symptoms are rare, but can be fatal, with elderly especially at risk, officials said.
Separately, a different potentially life-threatening virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), was found in mosquitoes trapped on East Taft Road in Cicero.
County data show the number of mosquitoes trapped in June was nearly double the number trapped a year ago. The numbers for July decreased, but are still slightly above a year ago.
“Based on historical patterns, we should assume West Nile, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and other mosquito-borne viruses are regularly present in our region,” health commissioner Dr. Kathryn Anderson said in a news release. “It’s important to take routine precautions against mosquito bites throughout the summer, particularly given the elevated mosquito activity we’ve seen so far this year in our surveillance program.”
The county provided a full list of symptoms and preventions measures on its website.
Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at [email protected] or (315) 470-6070.
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