Douglas County resident dies of West Nile virus complications
A Douglas County resident has died of complications related to the West Nile virus, according to the Douglas County Health Department.
There have been 11 cases to date in 2018 in Douglas County, including 10 confirmed in the past week, compared to seven for all of last year.
The person was over the age of 65, had been hospitalized and suffered from underlying health conditions, according to a news release.
“The number of West Nile cases in Douglas County is up significantly from last year,” Health Director Dr. Adi Pour said in the release. “Last week we had more cases confirmed than we saw all of last year.”
The West Nile virus is spread to people through the bites of mosquitoes that have fed on birds that are infected with the disease.
“The best way to avoid getting sick is to protect yourself from mosquito bites,” Pour said. “We cannot predict how many West Nile cases we will have this year, but we do know how you can reduce the threat.”