America’s deadliest mosquito-bite disease has killed its first victim of the year in New Jersey after being detected in every borough of New York City.
And five of the six regions in Kansas were put on high alert last week amidst a resurgence of West Nile Fever which left 79 people dead in the US last year.
The disease which causes fever, headache, and paralysis entered the US in 1999 and is carried by mosquitos which live near ponds and pools of water.
More than 1,000 pools have now tested positive for the disease across New York City alone so far this year.
‘Get rid of standing water in your yard and cover or turn over any empty containers that can hold water for several days,’ urged Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette.
More than 1,000 locations across New York City have tested positive for the disease so far this year, including every area of Staten Island
Around 150 of the nation’s 200 mosquito species are able to carry the disease
The disease has surged into the North East after taking hold across the South West
Health officials warned that the virus would spread to New York after the first case of the summer was detected in New Jersey in July.
Eight cases have now been detected in the Garden State, of whom six required hospital treatment including the person who died in Bergen County.
Sixteen people have been infected in New York City which has seen 59 deaths from the disease since it was introduced.
Only one-in-five people infected with the virus develop symptoms but they can be devastating in the worst cases.
Lisa Montez, a 31-year-old mother from Windsor, Colorado, was left unable to drive, work or care for her six-year-old daughter Aria after becoming infected in July last year.
‘She just could not understand why, all of a sudden, Mommy can’t play with me, Mommy has to lay down,’ she told DailyMail.com
‘I had the rash, I had the flu-like symptoms, but instead of getting better like most people do, you feel crappy for a few days, I did not get better. I ended up getting worse and worse and worse.
‘We went from being completely healthy and fine and normal to not – to completely opposite.’
Lisa Montez contracted West Nile virus in July 2022 and, unlike roughly 80 percent of cases, felt sick almost immediately. She is part of a small group who experience symptoms like migraines, fatigue, fever, and rash. In the most severe cases, the virus can cause brain swelling, convulsions, and paralysis
Ms. Montez developed a rash on her face in addition to other usual symptoms associated with West Nile Virus
Health advice includes using insect repellent and wearing long clothing in areas with high mosquito populations
Kansas has seen 22 cases and three deaths so far this year, including 17 cases where the virus invaded the nervous system.
‘We’re right in the middle of our peak timeframe for WNV transmission here in Kansas with more widespread virus activity this year than in the previous several years,’ Dr. Erin Petro, the state’s public health veterinarian said.
‘It’s important to take mosquito bite prevention measures to protect yourself, your family, and livestock.
Counties in Maryland and Texas have detected their first infections this year and three cases have been detected in DeKalb County Georgia.
The disease was discovered in Uganda in the 1930s and is now found on almost every continent in the world.
In August 1999, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation began receiving reports of large die-offs of crows in parks across New York City.
At the same time, medics were puzzled and alarmed when two elderly patients at Flushing Hospital Medical Center in Queens suffered sudden unusual paralysis in their arms and legs, along with disorientation and high fever.
Tests confirmed the disease had arrived in the United States where it has since killed more than 2,700 people and can be carried by 150 of the nation’s 200 mosquito species.
Exactly how it got here remains unknown but experts believe it may have been carried by migrating bird populations.
There is no cure or vaccine for West Nile Virus and experts advise reducing the risk of infection by using insect repellent and wearing long clothing in areas with high mosquito populations.
Illinois’ Health Department Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said the death of a man in his 90s was the first reported in his state this year.
‘This death and the 11 additional cases are a stark reminder that West Nile virus poses a serious risk, especially to older people and those with weakened immune systems,’ he added.
The counties where cases of the disease have been recorded so far this year
‘While the weather is warm and mosquitoes are breeding, we should all take precautions to ‘Fight the Bite’.’
Ms. Montez is determined to use her experience to educate people about West Nile and how it can be prevented
She said: ‘Prevention is prevention, but it’s always in the back of mind that it just takes one mosquito bite to change your life.
‘It really is worth the two minutes to spray on mosquito spray before you go out. It took an entire year of my life and foreseeably more. Two minutes is worth it.’